


Winter Puzzles

by Tri17



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Anal Sex, Atem is back from the dead, Burns, Car Sex, M/M, Mutual Pining, Office Sex, Oral Sex, Post-Canon, Puzzleshipping, Yami Yuugi | Atem has his own body, mentions of season 0 shenanigans, post dsod, some chapters have smut, they like to switch it up, top!atem, top!yugi, yugioh advent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-09-05 13:33:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 101,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16811635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tri17/pseuds/Tri17
Summary: A collection of Puzzleshipping snippets showing Yugi and Atem's relationship - for the Yugioh Advent 2018. Explores the different stages of their relationship, from when they are mutually pining over each other, all the way to when they're happily married.





	1. Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi has a fear of fire that he never had before Atem died. Atem finds out why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of Season 0 violence in this chapter- the one time where Yami set a person on fire.

##  **1: Fire**

Atem noticed it the first time Joey asked Yugi to pass him a box of matches to light a candle. There was a slight hesitation, a minute tremble in his hand, before he passed the box. It was so minuscule that Atem figured it was just a shiver.

And then the same reluctance appeared again when Atem had asked him to set the tea kettle on the gas stove. There was an open flame because he had turned the burner too high. Yugi had paused, staring at the stove, seemingly freezing at the sight of the flames. Then he wordlessly shook himself out of the trance and placed the kettle down, turning down the intensity of the heat. But that was when Atem began to watch for the signs.

He noticed it a lot more frequently after that. Yugi moving away from the campfire when they all went out with their friends camping. Yugi flinching away from a lighter that Tristan was playing with in a store. Yugi opting to let Atem light the candles on Ryou’s birthday cake.

But it was when the two of them were walking home from a card store one day that Atem knew, without a doubt, Yugi was scared of fire.

They were in an animated conversation—well, Atem was the one talking, while Yugi listened with a very amused smile on his face—about the downfalls of the afterlife. “No games, really! You’d think being dead, I’d be able to conjure up at least a Game Boy, but no. Even being Pharaoh there, it didn’t matter. I was trapped by the limitations of my time.” He let out a long-suffering groan, making Yugi laugh.

“It’s a good thing we got a second chance then, huh? Now you can play all the games you want.” Yugi was giving him that overly fond look, the one that made Atem’s heart swell to the point it felt like it would burst out of his chest. “I guess enough moping around and eventually the god of the underworld can get annoyed enough to zap you back to life with your old body intact.” Cheekily, Yugi bumped Atem’s hip with his own. 

Atem rolled his eyes but returned the bump with one of his own. “Osiris was a little pouty that I wasn’t enjoying myself. But he was pretty determined to let me be happy, which I’ll be forever grateful for. Still, the modern era has some things that just can’t be replaced—” Atem stopped speaking abruptly, looking at the smoke billowing out of a nearby apartment complex.

It was in flames. There was a crowd surrounding the building and firefighters and police were quickly securing the scene, but it was still a shock to see. Even across the street as they were, Atem could feel the blazing heat radiating off of the burning building. There was an instinctive urge, probably from his time of being a pharaoh, where he wanted to go to the scene and see what he could to do to help.

He refrained, knowing it wouldn’t do any good. “I hope they’re okay,” he murmured, continuing to walk. He stopped, though, realizing Yugi wasn’t following him. He turned to look over his shoulder and that was when he _knew_.

Yugi was curled in on himself, wrapping his arms around his midsection in some form of a self-hug, as he shivered and looked at the flames with large, unseeing eyes. He was pale and shaking, completely frozen as he stared at the building.

“Yugi?” Atem asked hesitantly. He came back to put a hand on Yugi’s shoulder, trying to pull him out of his trance. “Let’s go on home, okay?” Yugi seemed to hear him as he gave a jerk of his head, almost a nod, and mechanically began to move.

They didn’t speak as they walked. Yugi was clearly trying to shake off what he had saw, while Atem was wracking his brain to understand when Yugi had developed a fear of fire. He hadn’t remembered Yugi being particularly scared of fire during their time together. Was it something that had developed after Atem crossed over? He supposed it could have happened in the year-and-a-half he was gone. Yugi hadn’t mentioned anything crazy happening, though. At least nothing involving fire. There had been that thing with Diva, then he graduated high school, saw Téa off to America, started college, participated in a few tournaments and defeated Kaiba several times... Nothing really out of the ordinary. So had the fear started before Atem left? Had he just... _never noticed?_ Atem swallowed hard, feeling like a stone had settled in the bottom of his stomach. No, no, he couldn't have overlooked something like this. Not when it came to Yugi.

When they made it home, Atem steered Yugi to the couch, while he occupied himself with making tea for them. Yugi still had a haunted look in his face; he was staring down at his hands in silence. Atem finished the tea and pressed the cup into Yugi’s hands before settling beside him.

“When… when did you develop a fear of fire?” Atem finally forced himself to ask. It felt disconcerting to not know something like this about his partner. He thought he had known everything about Yugi. He prided himself, secretly, on knowing as much as possible about the most important person in his life. But he didn’t know… this.

Yugi took a sip of the tea before putting it aside. He held out his hands to Atem, palms open. At first, Atem felt his cheeks flush and his heart speed up. Was Yugi asking him to hold his hands? Did Yugi want to do that? Did this mean something… _more?_ Did Yugi maybe return his more, uhh… _intense_ feelings?

And then Atem looked down at his partner’s palms and realized exactly what Yugi meant. It felt like he had been doused with cold water. Atem sucked in air through his teeth before biting his lip.

There were thin lines along his fingers and palms. Scars. They were edged with pink, the skin slightly raised and faintly discolored. It was darker than the rest of his pale skin, the pink melding into a faded peach and eventually to a thin white line in the center. Had he not been looking at them in the light, Atem would have never known that the scars were even there. They appeared to have healed rather nicely, considering they were remnants from 3rd degree burns.

It was their shape, though… the burns were in a pattern. It was clear that Yugi had been burnt from holding onto something. His left hand slightly less scarred than his right, the scars not quite as thick or dark. Atem gently took his right palm, running his thumb over the burns. He studied them carefully, knowing deep down what the shape was, but hoping... he was hoping that it wasn't...

Atem knew he couldn't deny it when he tilted Yugi’s hand just slightly. He swallowed hard, bending Yugi’s fingers to confirm his theory. When his partner’s hand was in a gripping motion, Atem had zero doubts as to what the scars were.

Chain links. His burn scars were in the shape of chain links.

“You…” he breathed, unable to say much else.

Yugi gave a wan smile, uncurling his fingers and letting his hand rest limply in Atem’s grip. “Joey said I refused to let the chain go. It overheated in the fire and burnt into my skin. It burnt so severely that I lost feeling during the fire, I didn’t even notice the pain… but I guess that’s a pretty common sign of a 3rd degree burn.”

He shook his head, not meeting Atem’s eyes. “I don’t know when I became so terrified of fire. I wasn’t scared of it when you were still here, in me. Even after this had all happened, I wasn't scared.”

Atem stroked his palm, unable to keep from staring at the scars. Because the Puzzle had been removed from Yugi's body for most of the battle against Duke, Atem didn't really know what had happened. Then when the Puzzle was shattered, he had fallen into a strange state of unawareness—like being unconscious.

By the time Yugi had solved the Puzzle and Atem had really grasped the situation, it was too late to convince his partner to let him go and get away from the flames. Honestly, Atem didn't remember much else about the event besides sheer, unbridled _panic_ for Yugi's health.

Then Yugi was unconscious for an entire day in the hospital, getting ointments and treatment for his hands. The Puzzle had been removed during that time. Atem wasn't given back to his partner until the second day sometime and they didn't really speak much about what had happened. The memory of the event was too raw and terrifying for both of them so it was just something that they never discussed.

Seeing the scars, though, Atem wished he could go back in time and tell Yugi how much it meant to him that Yugi had risked his life, had hurt himself like that, just to protect the Puzzle. Just to protect _him_.

He cleared his throat, finding it incredibly difficult to speak with the sheer emotion welling up inside him. “It would make sense for you to be scared of fire after this. These burns…” Atem trailed off, unsure what else to say or how to express how much he felt right then. The words, "I love you. You're the most incredible person in my life. You're so brave and courageous and I don't know what I'd do without you," was bubbling up his throat and ready to spew out. Atem bit his tongue, knowing he couldn't say all that. Not now. Not yet. Maybe not ever. Not until he was sure that it wouldn't drive Yugi away. 

Yugi gave a small laugh, making Atem focus back to their conversation. “These burns healed really well, compared to how it could have gone. I didn’t even need a skin graft. And the scars could look a lot worse and they don’t really stand out too much unless I'm showing someone; most people don’t even notice. I still have full motion of my hands and fingers and no nerve damage, so truly, I’m really lucky.” He flexed his fingers to emphasize his point.

“Yugi… I—” Yugi held a finger to his lips, cutting him off. Atem had the sudden urge to nip his fingertip playfully, but the moment was far too serious to flirt right then. He swallowed down the impulse, focusing back on Yugi’s bright eyes.

“I don’t regret it for a single second, Atem. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Even with the fear.” He moved his finger and leaned back against the couch with a sigh. “The fear may have come from… well some other experiences, too. I remember... I remember our early months together, before we knew each other. I mean, I always sort of knew what happened in those early months, but after you left, I really remembered. The memories weren't blocked anymore.” Yugi paused, taking a deep breath. “...There was a lot of fire back then, too.”

Atem looked away, frowning. “I burnt someone alive,” he said quietly.

“I know. But it wasn’t just you. It was _us_. _We_ burnt someone alive.” He reached over and gripped Atem’s hand, squeezing it. “I think there is a direct correlation between the memories and the burns and my fear of fire. I think a lot of it stemmed from the fact that you were gone and I was processing everything on my own. And I’m not sure I’ll ever really get over that fear. But we all have our own scars and fears.” Yugi gave him a pointed look.

“My fear of darkness.”

“I don’t remember you being scared of the dark when we were together, either.”

“I wasn’t. It started when I came back to life.” Atem couldn’t help the humorless smile edging on his lips. “When I didn’t have you anymore to fight away the fear. It just grew.”

Yugi’s hand found his, their fingers entwining together. Atem jerked his head up to look at Yugi, feeling his heart race. The expression in his eyes stole Atem’s breath; the open affection, adoration… It was too much. “But we’re together now. And when the fire is too much for me, or the darkness too much for you… Well, we can hold onto each other, right? Fight the fear together?” Atem looked down at their hands. He squeezed Yugi’s in response before lifting it up and daringly pressing his lips to his knuckles.

Yugi flushed but gave him a tender smile. “Always, Yugi. I’ll never leave your side and make you fight your fears alone again. For as long as I live.” Atem returned Yugi's soft smile with one of his own. From the way Yugi seemed to melt at the gesture, Atem had a feeling his eyes were expressing the over-abundance of love he felt for his partner. “Even if I have to walk through the blackest rooms of the Puzzle again, to stay with you, I'll do it.”

“And I'd stay in a burning building and be burnt a thousand times over if it meant I'd stay with you for forever, too.” A playful grin spread over Yugi’s face. “That being said, though, hopefully we'll never have to face those fears or situations again. I think I'd prefer to just have you give me tea and hugs to make me feel better whenever I get scared by fire.” Atem laughed, pulling Yugi into his arms for the hug he had mentioned.

“As do I.” With a teasing grin as he pulled away from the tight embrace (but only slightly because Atem would take any excuse to continue to hold Yugi in his arms), Atem said, “But don't worry, partner. I'll handle all the candles and matches from now on, too.”

Yugi rolled his eyes but Atem could still hear the affection in his voice when he said, “My hero.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhhhh Drawing is hard. I'll try to get 24 pictures and stories out but we'll see. I was already like 2 hours late getting this one out on time haha I've only got like one other story prompt completed and like five, six pictures drawn? That took me all day, too, even without inking and coloring. Haaaaa.... 
> 
> This is so crazy, I can't even believe I'm doing this. I haven't posted a story for anything in like 5 years. But what the heck? Figured this was as good as time as any to break into the YGO fandom officially. Happy December~


	2. Luster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mokuba asks Yugi and Atem to dress up as the Black Magician of Chaos and the Black Luster Soldier for a photoshoot. Atem nearly has a stroke seeing Yugi in a tight latex costume, while Mokuba can't understand how two boys can be so utterly oblivious to each other's feelings - but he decides to have some fun with it. Yugi is, well, utterly oblivious.

## 2: Luster

Mokuba had to fight away the grin as he saw Atem pout at the costume he was handed. “You’re the Black Luster Knight,” he told the former pharaoh.

“Why can’t I be the Dark Magician?” Atem was _definitely_ pouting. Mokuba had to swallow a laugh.

“Because Yugi is going to be the Magician of Black Chaos. We’re only doing Ritual Summoning cards in this shoot. And,” Mokuba shrugged, “I owe Yugi a favor for convincing you to do this in the first place so he got first pick of who he wanted to be between the two.” Atem wrinkled his nose but finally sighed and relented, taking the costume to go change.

Over his shoulder, he asked, “Where is Yugi? He disappeared as soon as we got here.”

“He has a lot of makeup to put on with the whole blue skin thing. He’ll be out in a bit. I’ll go check in on him.” There was a flicker of something in Atem’s eyes that made Mokuba fight another laugh. The man looked almost like a lost puppy when he was separated from his partner. He tried to hide it but Mokuba saw the glimpse of it as soon as he asked about Yugi—no matter how nonchalant it sounded.

Not that Yugi was any better, Mokuba thought minutes later, considering the first words out of Yugi’s mouth when he stepped into Yugi’s dressing room were, “How is Atem doing? Is he okay?”

“He’s fine. Pouting he didn’t get to be a magician, but fine.” Mokuba rolled his eyes before leaning on the vanity, watching as the makeup artist lined Yugi’s eyes thickly with black liner. Yugi was relatively relaxed with the artist—which was nice to see; during Yugi’s former magazine and commercial shoots, Yugi had been quite uncomfortable with the copious amount of makeup and the abundant touching he had to endure. He was growing comfortable with this. Mokuba wasn't sure if that was because Yugi had done it so many times now, or if there was some sort of correlation between his sudden ease and Atem's return. Possibly a bit of both? 

To fill the silence, Mokuba continued to talk to his friend, saying, “Hey, thanks again for doing this. I know Seto hasn’t said anything but he actually does appreciate you guys doing this for the VR update on such short notice. It drums up more attention when they see the undefeated King of Games and the up-and-coming Pharaoh teaming up.”

“Pharaoh?” Yugi cracked open an eye, raising an eyebrow. “Mokuba?” His tone was suspicious. Mokuba shot him a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his head.

“Okay, so we wanted a tagline. I mean, Seto is… Well, Seto is the CEO. The Genius. His name is his brand. You’re the King of Games. Joey is the Wildcard, as he’s been dubbed by his fans. We’re running with it. But Atem needed a name, too. He can’t be the King of Games since he hasn’t been able to beat you in any of the tournaments, but he’s beaten everyone else, so…” Mokuba shot Yugi a winning smile.

Yugi rolled his eyes, before apologizing to the makeup artist for moving his face. “You would be the one to suggest Pharaoh for him. It is catchy, though. And fits since he’s Egyptian. And his past…”

“I knew you’d appreciate my marketing genius!” As the makeup artist finished her work, Mokuba pushed away from the vanity. “All right. I’ll see you out there when you’re done. We’ll do the photoshoot and the commercials and call today a wrap. Thanks again, Yugi!”

Mokuba slipped out of the room and returned to the main photoshoot room. He discussed a few of his ideas with the photographer and cameraman—Seto had given him full creative control on this project—and plotted out their course of action.

Unsurprisingly, Atem was finished first. He didn’t have nearly as much makeup to put on as Yugi, and besides his armor, his outfit wasn’t as elaborate to put on. Mokuba looked his costume over with a critical eye, finally nodding in approval. He handed Atem the Black Luster Soldier’s replica sword. The former pharaoh took it, looking perfectly natural as he handled the blade. Probably because of his past training. Yugi had mentioned before the man was accomplished it _a lot_ of physical activities. Apparently he had to be in order to be king.

“You look fierce,” he told Atem with a smile. “Very nice. Hey, while we wait for Yugi to finish dressing, we’ll go ahead and start your single shots and individual promos.”

Atem was quick and easy. He flew through the poses Mokuba wanted with ease, even willing to do more extreme action shots without Mokuba having to ask. Actually, Atem had suggested it and Mokuba eagerly accepted, getting amazing video footage and shots with Atem balancing on one hand for one photo, video of him going through the motions of some Ancient Egyptian-styled sword play, and even a few flips and handstands that looked absolutely _amazing._

“Hey now, no way I can do that,” Yugi told them, walking out. At his voice, Mokuba watched as Atem’s head snapped up and he lost the fierce, cocky look of the Black Luster Knight and just stared helplessly lovestruck at his partner. As the former pharaoh took in the outfit Yugi was wearing, Mokuba wondered if he was going to have to call an ambulance. Atem looked like he was going to have a stroke.

“You look great!” Mokuba told Yugi, forcing himself to turn away from Atem to keep from laughing. Yugi gave a self-conscious chuckle, adjusting his hat, though it looked more like he wanted to fidget with his pants. Not that Mokuba could blame him; the outfit was so tight, it looked like it was painted on Yugi.

“You think so?” Mokuba handed him the Magician of Black Chaos’s staff, giving him an approving nod. He opened his mouth to say something but was beaten to it.

“You look perfect, partner,” Atem told him, having stepped away from the shooting stage to see Yugi up close. Even through the blue paint, Mokuba could see Yugi’s face flush from the praise. It got that much redder when Atem tried to discreetly—but it was still so _obvious_ —check Yugi out. His eyes hungrily drank in the tight latex that clung to Yugi’s form.

Mokuba couldn’t help himself. He blurted, “Are you two dating?” Yugi whirled around to him with wide eyes, while Atem turned blood-red, visible even with his dark skin. Mokuba had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing hysterically.

He was relatively sure they weren’t dating. He and Joey actually had a bet going about how long it would take for them to get together and since it was still in the six month range (which was Joey’s bet; Mokuba’s was that it would take at least a year) and Joey had yet to tell Mokuba to pay up, he was reasonably sure their friendship hadn’t changed.

Still, he wanted to tease them. It was cute, but painful, to watch them send adoring looks when the other wasn’t watching. Both of them were so absolutely _oblivious_ to how the other felt. Mokuba internally rolled his eyes. They were over twenty, some of the smartest people he knew, and yet they were still so freaking dense to how they felt about one another. _Anybody_ could see how the two felt for each other.

“N-no,” Atem stuttered out, clearing his throat and trying to sound unaffected but failing miserably.

Mokuba made a humming sound before turning around and pretending that the matter was trivial. “Oh. Sorry. I just thought, with how you both… Never mind.” He smirked as he walked away from them, waiting for their response.

Sure enough… “Wait, with how we both what?” and “What do you mean, Mokuba?” were shot out immediately at his retreating form. Mokuba grinned at the cameraman, laughing silently. The cameraman rolled his eyes in response, mouthing, “Are they really this dense?” Mokuba nodded, trying to keep from crying tears of mirth.

“Nothing~” he told them in a singsong voice, turning back around when he had finally composed his face a little more. “Let’s get started! Atem, we’re good with your stuff, so we’ll go ahead and do Yugi now. Then both of you together.”

Yugi had been modeling for these types of shoots for KaibaCorp for over a year now, after he turned nineteen. Apparently he needed money for college. No biggie; the King of Games drummed up _a lot_ of buzz for any new product or event they had. It was a win-win for both of them.

He went through his poses smoothly, falling into the cheeky, fun characterization of the Magician of Black Chaos. But Yugi was hardly the focus of Mokuba’s attention for most of the shoots. No, instead, it was Atem. The man was staring so intently at Yugi that Mokuba could practically see the hearts in his eyes. He was simply _fawning._

And then Yugi dropped his staff.

Later on in life, Mokuba instinctively knew this would be a moment that he would never, ever forget. It would be stored in his memory bank to draw upon whenever he was having a bad day and needed an excellent laugh. He was only sixteen but he knew that there were not going to be many things that could top the Pharaoh’s face when Yugi bent over to pick up his staff.

Admittedly, Yugi Mutou had a fairly nice ass for a guy. It was pleasantly round but not grotesquely so; good enough that if Atem were an ass man, he’d be delightfully pleased with Yugi’s. Mokuba wasn’t much for relationships or romance or sex or anything like that, but objectively speaking, he could see the appeal of a young, handsome man like Yugi bent over in _extremely tight_ black latex pants. Did it do anything for him? No, not a thing.

But did it do something for the revived man standing next to him? Oh, most _definitely._

Atem let out an unconscious sound from the back of his throat. It sounded somewhat like a cross between a strangled moan and a choked squeak. Whatever it was, it was the funniest freaking sound he had ever heard Atem make.

But his face? Gods, _his face!_

He flushed blood-red, his pupils dilating, while his jaw dropped. Mokuba was pretty sure he saw drool, but wasn’t 100 percent on that. It was the most thunderstruck, lovesick, dazed expression he had ever seen on anyone, let alone someone as serious as the former pharaoh.

Good lord, Atem might just return to the land of the dead if he didn’t start breathing again. 

“Atem, let’s not send you back to the Field of Reeds so soon, okay? Please remember to breathe. Don’t stroke out on me.” Atem took a deep breath, nodding distractedly. Mokuba watched as his tongue darted out, licking his lips, as Yugi stood back up.

Mokuba grinned, watching Atem watch Yugi. His crimson eyes followed Yugi’s every movement. It took every ounce of willpower not to double-over and laugh. Mokuba shot a glance over his shoulder, seeing his cameraman and photographer both shake their head, laughing. They didn’t even need words to communicate what a hilarious trainwreck Yugi and Atem were. 

It didn’t take long for Yugi to finish his solo shots. When walked over to see what Mokuba had planned next, Mokuba was surprised to see that Atem had pulled himself together. He no longer looked like an awkward, drooling, infatuated fanboy. He was back to his confident, composed self. Mokuba had to admit, he was reasonably impressed with Atem’s acting abilities.

Of course, Mokuba had to wonder how long that would last when he was up close and personal with Yugi in their group shots.

At first, most of the photos were just action poses—Yugi pretending to do magic, Atem swinging his sword from beside him; Yugi posing with his staff and Atem posing with his sword next to each other; both of them back-to-back with staff and sword outstretched to attack—and they got through it easily. The shots looked fantastic, there was no question in that. But at the same time… they were just so… _normal._

And KaibaCorp didn’t do normal. 

“Let’s spice this up some.” Mokuba shared a glance with both the photographer and cameraman. “They have great energy together, don’t they?” he asked them lightly. Both men nodded.

“Their chemistry is incredible,” the photographer admitted.

“Let’s not waste it, then,” Mokuba declared. “Okay, guys, for this next shot, we’re going to record it and snap a few stationary photos, too. Atem, I want you to pick Yugi up, like he’s been injured. Yugi, you keep attacking with your staff as Atem lifts you.” Both boys shot each other furtive glances, blushing at the idea of touching each other. Mokuba raised an eyebrow, clearly conveying the silent, "Is there a problem here?" when they looked back over at him. That spurred them into action.

This was the most physical contact both boys had for the entire shoot. And it showed; Atem hesitated when he was supposed to pick up Yugi before finally lifting him by the waist and pulling him into his arms. But it was stiffly done and looked uncomfortable. Like he was scared to pull Yugi too close to his chest. He also seemed unsure of where to put his hand. It hovered for a few brief seconds near Yugi’s ass, before slipping towards his upper back. The hold left Atem unable to carry Yugi securely. All in all, it wasn’t nearly what Mokuba had in mind.

That wouldn’t do.

“No, no, let’s do it again. Atem, be more natural. Geez, it’s just Yugi; it’s not like you guys aren’t joined at the hip already. Hold him closer. Pretend he like… sprained his ankle. Lift him up steadily, one hand on his upper back, the other on like his waist or butt or something.” Mokuba did his best not to smirk when Atem flinched slightly at the word “butt”. 

Yugi gave Atem and encouraging smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. Sweetly, he said, “I trust you,” and gave him a gentle look. That was all it took before Atem just… melted; Mokuba had no other way to describe it. The man took a deep breath and Mokuba watched as Atem’s expression turned determined and confident.

When they started the scene again, Atem lifted Yugi gracefully, spinning him into his arms, and lifting him like a princess. Yugi didn’t miss a beat, wrapping an arm around Atem’s neck and holding out his staff to attack.

Mokuba had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Atem’s hand was placed ever-so-carefully on Yugi’s butt. He was clearly trying so hard not to be inappropriate or make Yugi feel uncomfortable but at the same time… Well, one thing was clear.

Atem was definitely an ass man.

“They look incredible this way,” the cameraman murmured to Mokuba. “We should have more contact scenes. I think the fans will love it from these two.”

“As do I.” Mokuba said with a grin. Without preamble, he called out the next pose. “Atem, lift Yugi onto your right shoulder and hold out your sword. He should be able to fit. Yugi, hold out your staff.” This time, it was easier for both boys to interact. Atem couldn’t be distracted by Yugi’s outfit when he had to keep him so carefully balanced on his shoulder.

“Okay, now Yugi leap in front of Atem like you’re protecting him with your staff outstretched. Atem, you hold your sword threateningly, hand on Yugi’s hip.” Mokuba paused, shared a look with his photographer, and then shook his head. “Ermmm… Actually, wrap your arm around his waist. More possessive-like. Like both of you are protecting each other. Good!” It was a cool shot though Mokuba had to wonder if it was really applicable to their promo. He wasn’t sure how much he cared.

Once Atem and Yugi started dating publicly, he was sure he could release these photos in some sort of KaibaCorp exclusive interview about their relationship. It would be _hot_ news if the King of Games started dating the man most called his greatest rival.

“All right, we want some more dynamic shots. We’ll get an aerial view of these, so press together and look up. Yugi, hands on Atem’s chest. _Good._ ” He called out a few more cool-looking poses while they had the cameras shooting from above them.

They were nearly finished but on a whim, Mokuba decided to ask, “Hey Yugi, can you lift Atem? Holy shit, you can? Atem, sit on Yugi’s shoulders. This is going to look _amazing_.” Seeing Atem on Yugi’s shoulders was unbelievably amusing. Something about the bondage-looking Magician of Black Chaos carrying the armored Black Luster Soldier was funny to see. 

When Atem shifted off of Yugi’s shoulders, Mokuba gave another order: “Yugi, just carry Atem. Like bridal style. No real pose really, this one is more for fun. The idea that the Magician of Black Chaos is carrying the Black Luster Soldier is just really funny. I think our audience will get a kick out of the pose.” Yugi chuckled and shrugged, sweeping Atem off his feet.

Mokuba had to cough to hide his laugh when he saw Atem’s lovestruck expression return. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy being in Yugi’s arms. While his face eventually smoothed back to its normal cockiness, Mokuba was pleased to see that his photographer had caught two different shots with Atem staring at Yugi like he was the center of Atem’s universe.

To be fair, Atem probably did see him that way.

They finished their pose and Mokuba clapped his hands to get their attention. “Okay, last pose! Do one of those victory friendship hugs. The really gleeful ones. We need the victory shots to finish this thing out. And then we’re done.” He really hadn’t expected much; this was one shot they actually needed, not something Mokuba was doing for shits and giggles. However, he was pleasantly surprised when Yugi did a running jump, leaping into Atem’s arms.

Atem didn’t miss a beat, swinging Yugi around, before pulling him to his chest. He held Yugi tightly and Yugi immediately responded by wrapping his arms around Atem’s waist.

Mokuba blinked in shock. The pose was… It was perfect. It was so… soft and loving and just… everything teamwork was. Happiness and joy for winning but that mutual comfort and appreciation for their partner. Just a tender moment after a battle well-fought.

“That’s a wrap,” Mokuba said lowly. He walked over to compliment and thank Yugi and Atem again, before sending them both on their way to go get their makeup and costumes off. When he came back to review their work, both the photographer and cameraman were staring at something on the computer screen.

It was the clip of that final running hug. The cameraman looked up at Mokuba before clicking over to the still photo of the hug. It was gorgeous. Mokuba had a feeling that their fans and customers would start shipping the Magician of Black Chaos and the Black Luster Knight after these images went into print.

“They really aren’t dating?” the photographer asked him. “With this much chemistry between them?”

Mokuba sighed, shrugging. “Crazy, right? They’re so in love it hurts. But they both seem to be under the impression their feelings are unrequited.” He rolled his eyes. Both men at his side shook their heads in exasperation. Mokuba could only agree with them. Anyone with eyes could see how hopelessly in love those two idiots were.

Everyone except the two idiots, of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, day 2 is down! 2 hours late again X.X I'm dying. I have Cozy written but nothing drawn for it yet. Uh-oh. Let's see if I can maybe get it out on the right day. 
> 
> Also, I'm never drawing armor again. I don't know why I keep doing this to myself. First day, "Oh, let's draw hands!" even though that's excruciatingly difficult for me. Day 2, "Oh, let's draw stupidly intricate clothing and armor that has a bazillion details and will take a thousand reference images to look at!" The only fun thing in that picture was drawing chibi Atem gushing hearts. And chibi Yugi with star eyes. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!!


	3. Cozy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi contemplates confessing his feelings to Atem when they get snowed in together.

##  3: Cozy

“Here,” Yugi said with a smile, handing Atem a cup of hot cocoa. “Since we’re snowed in, we might as well make the best of it.” Atem shot him a smile—the type that made Yugi warm all the way down to his toes and absolutely melt into a pile of lovesick goo.

He tried to hide his blush and goofy grin the best he could as he settled next to his best friend by staring down into his own mug of cocoa. Despite the fact that they were living together—had been living together alone now for almost six months in their own apartment—Yugi still couldn’t tell how Atem felt about him. 

Yes, sure, he heard _all_ the jokes his friends made about them. He was also aware of the fact that Mokuba and Joey had a running bet on how long it would take them to start dating. He knew Téa had even gotten a boyfriend in America despite having been in love with Atem, telling Yugi that, “There is no way I have a chance in hell with the way he looks at you. Might as well move on.” Even his mom teased him about bringing over her new “son-in-law” every time she called! But just because everyone else assumed they were together, it didn’t mean they were. The most important person in this equation was _Atem_ , and Yugi had no idea how he felt. After all, their relationship was a lot different compared to most.

And yes, while Yugi would absolutely love to pursue something romantic and everlasting with his partner, he wasn’t sure how Atem felt about that. And after being parted from Atem for a year-and-a-half and just getting him back—only having him back for eight months—Yugi was desperate to keep him. Possibly trying to deepen their relationship might push Atem away and he couldn’t handle him leaving again.

Atem flipped on the TV and handed him a controller, snapping Yugi out of his thoughts. “Let’s play. There isn’t anything better to do.” Yugi grinned, struggling to fight away the persistently loud thought of how absolutely wonderful Atem was.

While the thought never really went away, the longer they played games, the easier it was for Yugi to push it away from the part of his brain that connected to his mouth. He couldn’t get the thought out of his head but he was at least confident enough that he wasn’t going to blurt it out anymore.

“You monster!” Yugi cackled with glee as he zoomed past Atem’s spinning cart in the game, finishing first place. Atem was hot on his heels in second.

“You should watch out for those Red Shells!” Yugi taunted. “They can really mess your day up!” He looked over, expecting Atem to be pouting or glaring—or both—but was taken aback at the soft look on his face. Yugi’s breath caught as he realized at some point during the game, they had both scooted closer together on the couch. Their thighs were touching. A blanket was tossed over both of their shoulders, wrapping them even closer together.

Right. Yugi had complained at one point after a race that he was cold. Atem had thrown the blanket over them. That was probably how they ended up so close together, too. He glanced back up at Atem, hoping—and yet not—that his partner would be looking elsewhere. Or at least, he would be flashing a cocky grin and would issue another challenge.

But Atem wasn’t. He was simply staring at Yugi like he was the most amazing thing on the planet. “Sorry,” Atem spoke softly, “I just love the way you smile after you win.” 

His heart leapt into his throat as he struggled with the overwhelming urge to just lean over and kiss his partner. And there was a part of Yugi that was becoming more insistent that he try it. None of his other friends kissed his knuckles or gave him these long, adoring looks, like Atem did. None of his other friends let him wrap them in hugs and hold them when nightmares became too much or the darkness was too overwhelming. None of his other friends even slept in his bed every single night.

Granted, Yugi could explain most of those. Atem was from a different culture, a different time period. Maybe some of those things were more natural there—like hand kissing. And maybe Atem just appreciated him and loved him in a more platonic way and that’s what the adoring looks meant. And Yugi was sure if any of his friends suffered from the nightmares or panic attacks that Atem did, they would let Yugi hold and comfort them, too. _And_ the only reason they shared a bed was because it helped Atem sleep better when he wasn’t alone. He didn’t get as many nightmares.

So… Yugi couldn’t say for sure if Atem returned his feelings or not. And he was far too scared to ask. But at the same time… the feeling, the _pressure_ , in his chest was just building and building. Yugi wasn’t sure how much longer he could take living in silence of his possibly unrequited feelings.

He bit his bottom lip and before he could really think about what he was doing, Yugi blurted, “Atem, we’ll always be friends, right?” Atem jolted at the sudden question before nodding emphatically.

“Of course, Yugi!”

Oh gods, was he really about to do this? Was he really about to ruin their nice, cozy night together with this? This was a horrible, awful idea. But it was _Atem_ , his best friend in the world, the one he had lived with for two years before they were separated, the one who came _back to life_ to stay with him again.

Even if Atem didn’t like him like _that_ , he wouldn’t end their friendship over Yugi’s feelings. He would reject him gracefully and kindly and things would be awkward for awhile but they would move past it. Hopefully.

“Yugi, you’re trembling. Are you still cold?” Atem moved closer, pulling the edge of the blanket tighter so they were wrapped even more snugly together. Then he tugged Yugi closer to his side, wrapping his arm around his waist and letting him rest practically on his chest. Yugi was nearly on his lap.

Joey wouldn’t touch him like this.

The thought struck through Yugi’s brain light lightning. Joey was like his brother and they loved each other, adored each other, would go through fire for each other, but they would never do… this. Sure, they had cuddled and hugged and had no problems undressing in front of each other. And while Joey would easily pull Yugi into his arms to warm him up, it would never feel like… _this._

Courage grew in his veins and Yugi had an idea, one final test, to see if maybe… maybe his feelings weren’t so unrequited after all.

Yugi gently touched Atem’s cheek, cupping his face. If he did this to Joey, Joey would either give him a funny look or turn it into a joke.

Atem tilted his head to lean against Yugi’s palm more, lightly nuzzling his cheek against Yugi’s hand. His expression hadn’t changed from one of sheer adoration, his ruby eyes sparkling with warmth and ease. Nothing in Atem’s body language spoke that he was uncomfortable with the position. If anything, it seemed open and relaxed, almost… eager.

One thing Yugi could confidently say about his partner was that he knew when Atem was in discomfort. He had seen before how his partner would tense or pull away from people he didn’t like touching him. He knew what Atem looked like when he was in an uncomfortable situation. And this… this wasn’t the face or posture he made.

“Partner?” Atem questioned quietly.

“Can I… can I tell you something? It may make you uncomfortable and if it does, just tell me to stop. And if you don’t want to be around me after this, I understand. And I hope it doesn’t change our friendship but I just… I just have to say it.” Atem’s eyes had gone wide. He nodded a little hesitantly.

Yugi took a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut, and blurted out, “I think I’m in love with you.” He didn’t dare open his eyes. His heart was pounding out of his chest. Part of Yugi wanted to vomit and run out of the room, begging to pull the words back from the air. The other part of him, though, felt like he could finally breathe. It was done. It was over. He had said it.

Atem was silent. His body had stiffened. Yugi cracked open one eye and saw Atem just staring at him in shock.

Ohhhh, he’d made a terrible, awful mistake. The slight relief he had gotten from confessing his feelings was _gone_ and all Yugi wanted to do was rewind time to five minutes ago so this had never happened. All the air felt trapped in his lungs and Yugi wasn’t quite sure how to get it out. He really, really wanted to run away right then. Run away and cry.

“Haha, sorry, I’m sorry. Let’s just forget about this,” Yugi tried to say dismissively but his voice trembled at the end. He removed his hand from Atem’s cheek, trying to pull away slightly.

He didn’t get that far. An ironclad grip seized his wrist and kept his hand in place. Yugi flinched and turned back to see the downright _fierce_ expression on Atem’s face. His heart began to pound. Atem had the same look in his eyes that he got when he was in the middle of a game and he had decided that he absolutely was not going to lose.

“Umm… Atem… I-I—” Atem tugged him closer, resting his forehead against Yugi’s.

“I love you, too,” he said. “I love you so much. I’ve been in love with you since before I even left.”

“Y-You have?” Atem nodded. Yugi wasn’t sure what to do. He felt dazed.

No. He felt light as a feather. “Really?” he asked, just having to confirm it one more time. A smile played at the edges of Atem’s lips and he nodded again, tucking one of Yugi’s bangs behind his ear. The little touch sent shivers racing up and down his body. “Oh gosh. Good. Because I lied. I absolutely have no doubt that I’m in love with you. I was just trying to soften the blow just in case you didn’t feel the same.”

That made Atem laugh. “Of course I love you. How could I not?”

The lightness in his body spread to every limb and Yugi felt like he could conquer the world. He didn’t even think—he just surged forward and pressed his lips against Atem’s. Atem stiffened in shock and Yugi realized what he had just done. He didn’t even ask if he could kiss Atem! Yugi went to pull away but Atem relaxed in his hold, wrapping his arms around Yugi’s shoulders and returning his kiss.

It was probably the best thing in the world. Maybe second only to Atem coming back to life. His lips tasted like chocolate. But it was so much better than the hot cocoa they had just drank because it was _Atem_.

They broke away with flushed cheeks and giddy grins. Finally, _finally_ , both of them could just show the other how they felt. And that just made everything that much sweeter. Though Yugi had to admit that Atem tugging him forward by the shirt and slamming his lips on him was a pretty close second.

Hours later, after they had both kissed each other thoroughly for their temporary fill, they were lying lazily on the couch together. Yugi was resting his head on Atem’s chest, his legs entwined with Atem’s. Everything was warm and cozy and perfect, as they watched TV and maybe every so often turned to kiss the other.

“Hey, Atem?” Yugi asked lightly, his finger drawing an idle circle on Atem’s chest.

“Mmm-hmm?”

“I don’t think I ever asked you. Will you be my boyfriend?” Atem lifted his head slightly to look at Yugi. He pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.

“I’m glad you clarified. I already assumed I was.” Yugi laughed, nuzzling his head on Atem’s chest. “Absolutely. I would like nothing more—well, except to maybe be your husband, but we’ll cross that bridge later—than to be your boyfriend.” That drew another series of chuckles from Yugi, while simultaneously opening new pathways he had never really contemplated before.

Husband? They were too young and too new in their relationship to seriously consider marriage right then but later down the road? Yeah, Yugi could get behind that idea.

“Good,” he said, before reaching over to the coffee table and snagging his phone. Atem raised an eyebrow in question when Yugi began to text something quickly. Once his message was sent, he shot a mischievous grin towards Atem. “Just letting Mokuba and Joey know they may need to make a new bet.”

“Oh yeah, I overheard something about that. About when we were going to date. Joey won, didn’t he?”

“Yep. Mokuba said it would take at least a year, and you’ve only been here eight months. Oh look, they replied.” He snickered and passed his phone to Atem who was trying in vain to read it over his shoulder.

His new boyfriend chuckled at the message. “Mokuba is quite upset Joey won.” Yugi’s phone vibrated as a new message popped up. “Oh? He said he’s calling his time for the new bet, though. At least two years.” Another vibrate. “And Joey said he’s only betting six months.” Atem tilted his head curiously, looking down at Yugi. “What new bet?”

Yugi smirked up at him, winking. “Our engagement.” Atem’s laugh vibrated through Yugi’s body as his boyfriend pressed a gentle kiss on his neck.

“I look forward to seeing who wins, then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter sorta wraps up this 3-part mutual pining arc. After this, the chapters will jump around in their relationship in no particular order. I'll try to list at the beginning of each chapter from here on out what Yugi and Atem's relationship status is-- dating, engaged, or married. 
> 
> Also I managed to get this one out on time??? Tomorrow's picture is already done so I just have to get the written part finished. And the Banter prompt picture is already drawn out, I just have to ink and color. I'm lucky; I'm on jury duty this week so I have downtime to write during the days. It frees me up time to draw at night. Once I go back to my actual job next week, I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be about two or three days ahead of the prompts in case I fall behind lol


	4. Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi and Atem wake up in Ancient Egypt. Pharaoh Seth wants Atem to stay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so no one is confused, Atem and Yugi are married in this chapter. Also, in case you haven't seen The Dark Sides of Dimensions, there was a new Millennium Item introduced called the Quantum Cube. It has dimension control and was able to rip open space to shoot Kaiba into the afterlife so it doesn't seem too far-fetched that it can send someone back to Ancient Egypt, either.

##  4: Time

Sometimes, life just worked really strangely. Yugi's life in particular. Haunted by an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh from age sixteen to eighteen, unwillingly participating in a slew of dangerous and life-threatening adventures, having the love of his life return from the dead after over a year of being dead because he just  _ wanted to _ , then getting married to said formerly-dead man? Eh… it was a lot.

He had hoped now, at the ripe old age of twenty-five, his weird life-changing adventures were over.

However, considering he had just woken up in Ancient Egypt right next to an equally bewildered Atem, Yugi was reasonably sure he was starting some new, strange journey. 

“See? This is what you get for playing with the Quantum Cube with Kaiba,” Yugi ribbed his husband. Atem sighed, standing up and brushing off his jeans. He held out a hand for Yugi, helping him up. “In all seriousness, though. Can you still speak Ancient Egyptian?”

“We could just be in the desert somewhere,” Atem suggested weakly. Yugi raised an eyebrow and his husband shrugged. “We could hope? Ugh, fine. Yes, I know. I see the palace from my memories, too. Let's hope Seth is the pharaoh right now. Hopefully he remembers me?” They both shared a look and grimaced. Atem was technically wiped from everyone's memories to seal Zorc, so how exactly was this going to work? 

Yugi let Atem lead the way, both of them discussing quietly why the hell the Quantum Cube had sent them back in time. The only thing that made sense was that Atem was meant to fill some sort of purpose here. Wrap up loose ends maybe? Maybe it was to meet with Atem's father? Yugi somewhat hoped it was to meet with Priest Seth—err, Pharaoh Seth—rather than his father-in-law. He wasn't sure how well Atem's dad would react to the fact that his son, the former crown prince and a pharaoh in his own right, had married another male. Kings didn't exactly marry other men, and even if Yugi wielded the title King of Games, he didn't think that would bear enough weight to convince Aknamkanon to bless their marriage.

He really,  _ really _ hoped they were going to meet Seth.

Apparently they had appeared relatively close to the city gates. Atem guided them to the entrance, marching up to the guards fearlessly and speaking to them. Yugi was relieved to hear that he still had total command of his native language. They traded words back and forth, the guards eyeing Atem suspiciously. 

Then one guard yelled out for another nearby soldier. They discussed something, gesturing to Atem and then to the palace. Atem interjected something, his stance becoming tense and his facial expression showing frustration. Yugi inched a little closer to his husband, placing a hand on Atem’s bicep. 

One guard finally nodded and ran off. Atem clasped Yugi’s hand on his arm, shooting him a smile over his shoulder. “They don’t remember me because of the spell. Seth is the pharaoh now and I’ve requested an audience. Because of my clothing and my intimate knowledge of the palace and procedures, they’re trying to arrange some sort of visit.” 

And so they waited. It seemed like a long time before someone game back, this time with a palace priest? walking with them. He spoke a few words to Atem, nodded slowly when Atem explained his side of things, before looking relatively shocked and perplexed. Their conversation turned more heated until finally the palace worker nodded and walked away to discuss with another guard standing nearby. 

Then there was more waiting. Yugi fanned his face idly, leaning against one of the pylons. It was too hot in Egypt. Atem sent him an apologetic smile, but they both knew he was doing his best to get them in to see Seth. Finally, when someone walked back to greet them, it appeared to be someone Atem had known. His face lit up and he called out a name. The man walking with them stared in shock at Atem, then his face scrunched up in confusion, clearly trying to remember something. 

Ah. Probably Atem’s name.

Finally, the man seemed to settle on something else to call Atem, bowing to him. They spoke for a few minutes and then the man gestured for the guards to let Atem through and began to walk. 

“He was one of my tutors when I was the prince,” Atem explained to Yugi as they followed behind. “He can’t remember my name or  _ me _ exactly, but he still has the memories. He knows he taught the crown prince for years before the prince became the pharaoh. And he knows that the pharaoh before Seth sacrificed himself to save everyone with a magical spell. It’s just that all the details about my person—my name, my face, my voice—aren’t there.” Despite his neutral tone, Yugi knew that had to make Atem feel... something. Very likely not a positive something, either. Given Atem's history with identity problems, having been called the Other Yugi or Yami for so long, Yugi could only imagine how it must feel to him to be forgotten by the people he had grown up with. The people he had sacrificed himself to save. It left a bitter taste in Yugi's mouth so he could only imagine how it felt for his husband.

He let out a breath and shook off the thoughts. Instead, he focused on the building looming over them. The palace was gorgeous. Now that Yugi wasn’t in some horrible Shadow Game fighting to save Atem and recover his memories, he could really slow down and appreciate the Ancient Egyptian world around him. 

The inside was even prettier. Tapestries and painted images of the Ancient Egyptian stories lined the walls and ceilings. As they walked down the polished granite floors, Yugi drank in the sights of the indoor gardens, the skylights, the indoor pools, and all the pictures surrounding him. It was an explosion of colors and designs, so much so, it was almost too much for his eyes. 

Atem was a sight to behold, too. He strode behind his former teacher, radiating authority and confidence; like a majestic king. Even without a cape and gold adorning his body, there was just no doubt in looking at him that he was in his element. 

It brought a pang to Yugi’s chest. This was Atem’s world, his life. Of course he felt at total ease here—these were his people, his subjects, his  _ home _ . While he knew logically that Atem enjoyed his life immensely back in Domino City, there was still a part of Yugi that was terrified Atem would want to return home to this. 

A hand squeezed his. Yugi looked up startled; he had been so lost in thought, he hadn’t even noticed Atem grabbing his hand. “I belong at your side, wherever that is,” Atem told him softly. Sometimes Yugi wondered if his partner still had some sort of slight mind link with him that allowed him to occasionally read his thoughts. It was eerie how easily Atem could just glance at him and know exactly how he was feeling and why. 

Of course, he was able to do the same thing to Atem, too, so maybe it wasn’t that strange. 

“Thank you,” Yugi whispered. Atem didn’t release his hand even as they entered the throne room. 

The grandeur of it was slightly overwhelming to Yugi right then. Not that it looked any different from the rest of the palace; it was just something about the atmosphere and the towering throne at the front of the room. The way there was a perfect pathway to the throne, putting everyone in direct line of sight of the pharaoh. It felt almost oppressive. Yugi felt totally exposed as they walked down towards the throne.

And on that golden throne sat Seth. Their guide led them to the front of the room, kneeling down in front of Seth. Yugi wasn’t sure whether he was supposed to bow or not—Atem wasn’t, but Atem was a pharaoh—and finally decided to err on the side of caution. He bent at the waist, beginning to lower himself, but was stopped by Atem squeezing his arm. 

“You’re my husband, which makes you a king, too. You don’t have to bow.” He turned back to face a wide-eyed Seth, offering a smile. He said something to him—Yugi assumed it was some sort of greeting—because Seth immediately rose from the throne. He said something back, Atem nodded, and then Seth was briskly walking down the dais to greet him. 

Yugi thought he might have a heart attack when the Kaiba clone grabbed Atem in a fierce hug. He wondered if his phone worked here. He would absolutely snap a picture of this and send it to  _ everyone _ and tell them it was Kaiba. Heh, the CEO would kill him.

Once Seth pulled away, there was a squeal and a bright-eyed girl bounded into Atem’s arms, practically knocking him off his feet. Yugi recognized her immediately. It was Mana. Ishizu’s look-alike Isis also came off of the dais to greet Atem. Those three seemed to be the only three that really clearly remembered him, though Yugi had yet to hear Atem’s name from any of their lips. 

Atem gently pulled away from Mana before hugging Isis. They spoke a few words before Atem grinned widely, looking between Isis and Seth in amazement. Yugi wished he knew what was happening, but if he had to guess, with the way Isis brushed her hand against her stomach, she was pregnant. He glanced at Seth and realized it was probably his. Their marriage would make the most sense.

Yugi was tugged to Atem’s side, his husband wrapping a protective arm around his waist. He said something to the three surrounding them before gesturing to Yugi and saying his name. Then he turned to Yugi and said in Japanese, “Yugi, I’m sure you remember Mana, Isis, and Seth.” 

“Of course. Nice to finally meet you officially,” he tipped his head in greeting. “My husband speaks so highly about all of you.” Atem translated what he said, but it didn’t look like they were really paying attention to that. Judging by the shocked looks on their faces, it appeared they were still hung up on the fact that Atem had married another man. 

Yugi internally sighed, briefly closing his eyes. Not this stuff again. He and Atem had gone through enough homophobia when they first came out as dating. It had gotten better as the years went on—they rarely dealt with it as much anymore—but it was definitely not something he wanted to experience here. 

Seth opened his mouth but Atem cut him off crisply. Yugi recognized the clipped tone even if he couldn’t understand what Atem was saying. Seth glowered and looked like he wanted to say something else but Isis placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. She turned towards Yugi and smiled and nodded in greeting. Mana was next, dancing over with her endless energy and nearly bowling him over with her hug.

She said something to him and Yugi looked at Atem helplessly. “She said she’s so excited to meet the one who has finally caught my attention. That you must be pretty special if you’ve managed to tie me down.” Yugi raised an eyebrow and Atem gave a small chuckle. “I used to tell everyone I’d never get married no matter what the traditions said unless I loved the person with all my heart.” He shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a romantic.” 

Yugi gave him a flirtatious smile. “Oh, I know,” he said huskily. Atem went red-faced, quickly turning back around towards Seth and Isis. 

Mana stepped away from him and looked him up and down with a critical eye before turning to Atem and interrupting his conversation. She said a few things and Atem looked curious. He shrugged and nodded before turning to Yugi. “Mana has a translation spell. She’s going to cast it on you so that you can understand what’s being said and communicate with us.”

“That’s convenient. Go for it.” Mana chanted something and Yugi was enveloped in a golden glow.

“Did it work?” she asked him when the light had faded. 

Yugi smiled and said, “Yep! It’s nice to meet you all now.” Now able to follow along with the conversation, the Ancient Egyptians began asking more questions about how Yugi and Atem met, then asking how the hell Atem was there and not dead. It had apparently been a little over a year since Atem had died and they were still working on healing the nation. Atem had no response for why they were there and he had no idea how long he and Yugi would be there. 

Seth didn’t want to waste the opportunity. He demanded a banquet thrown and then personally escorted Yugi and Atem to Atem’s old bedroom to change clothes in order to look more appropriate. “I haven’t changed anything in your,” Seth admitted as they walked down the hallways. “Not yet. Your crown is still in there.” They slipped into Atem’s bedroom and Yugi looked around curiously. This was the room his husband had grown up in. 

“Your bed looks uncomfortable,” Yugi said lightly. Atem turned around and laughed. 

“Compared to ours at home? It is horribly uncomfortable.” It looked like a table with a footboard attached. And there was a headrest, err… neckrest? at the front of the bed. That looked like hell to sleep on. 

“Here, my dear. Let’s change.” Atem handed him a linen tunic. Seth stayed politely facing away, looking at the jewelry on Atem’s vanity, while Yugi and Atem stripped out of their modern-day clothing. Yugi pulled on the tunic—it reminded him greatly of a dress—and was surprised to feel how light and comfortable it felt.

Atem gave him a golden belt to wear along with a purple wrap to go underneath the belt and over his skirt. Then he was led to the vanity to pick out jewelry. He chose matching amethyst bracelets and ankle cuffs, but had to forgo the earrings since his ears weren’t pierced. 

His husband had to help him put on the royal blue cape and then line his eyes with thick kohl. “You know this isn’t safe for our eyes, right?” Yugi asked lightly. Atem nodded. 

“We’ll only use it while we’re here. We should be okay.” Once they were finished, Seth handed Atem his winged crown with the Millennium Eye on the diadem. Atem settled it on his head before gesturing for Seth to hand him the spare crown. 

Though he handed it to Atem, he was frowning. “He’s not a pharaoh. He shouldn’t get your crown.” 

“Yugi is my other half. If you’re insisting I dress like a pharaoh, then he’s going to be right at my side. I’m not going to do anything without him.” At Seth’s glower, Atem narrowed his eyes. “Yugi is every bit my equal, Cousin.” He turned back and settled the crown on Yugi’s brow to make his point. 

Seth didn’t say anything else, opting to lead them out of Atem’s bedroom. The day was a whirlwind of activity after that. Introductions and celebrations, the banquet, the food, seeing the palace and all of Atem’s old friends… It was a lot to take in. Not even the fancy KaibaCorp dinners and meetings, or his Spherium II promotional events, or even their own wedding was this… much. 

Yugi had gotten a lot more confident the older he became. He no longer feared public speaking and with his job as one of the leading KC developers and a close partner to Seto Kaiba, he was able to navigate and handle intense business meetings with relative ease anymore. He rarely felt out of his element anymore. 

But here? In Ancient Egypt? Yugi felt like he was sixteen again; an awkward, shy, nerdy little boy that was completely out of place. He didn’t feel… okay being at Atem’s side at the table. He wasn’t sure how to join in the conversations between old friends and their shared memories of the past that he had no part in. 

Was this how Atem felt in Domino City? Did Atem have this fish-out-of-water feeling all the time? The idea unsettled him and made him sick to his stomach. 

The thought didn’t leave him all night. It was late at night when Atem led him somewhere; when he finally snapped out of his thoughts and looked around him, he realized he was back in the throne room. It seemed more solemn now that the room was completely empty. 

“You’ve been quiet,” Atem said softly. He walked over to the golden throne, sitting down in it. Yugi swallowed hard. He looked so natural sitting there. 

It nearly brought tears to his eyes. “You look like you belong there.” Atem eyes sharpened on him and he made a “come here” motion with his fingers. Yugi let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding before coming to stand in front of the king. In front of his husband. In front of the pharaoh. Yugi wasn't sure what title to give him in his head. Nothing sounded quite right.

He was suddenly swept off his feet and pulled into Atem’s lap. “I belong,” Atem began, kissing his jaw, “at your side. No matter where that is.” The tears unwillingly slipped out. Yugi wasn’t even sure why he was crying but he cupped Atem’s cheek and kissed him deeply. Breaking apart, he cupped Atem's jaw, looking into his beautiful ruby eyes. 

“I only belong with you, too. But I feel like I’ve stolen you away from your life. Looking at this, all of this… With your friends and family and everything you gave up here… I don’t know. I feel like I don’t belong here, but you do.” 

Atem wiped away his tears with his thumb. His look was so soft. “My love, I don’t care where we are in time. You will  _ always _ belong at my side, just as I belong at yours.” He stroked the wedding band on Yugi’s ring finger. “That’s what we promised, isn’t it?” 

“It is. And I don’t want to be anywhere but at your side. But I feel like I’ve forced you away from the life you deserved, that I've kept you away from this world.” 

“Banish the thought. My home is with you in Domino City, with our friends and family. I don’t feel out of place there or like I’ve been whisked away from everything I’ve know. Do I miss this sometimes? Of course. I miss my friends and my people and certain things here. Foods or certain smells or flowers. Things like that. There is a part of this place that will always be home to me. But it isn’t where I want to stay forever.” 

Atem paused to look up and out at the empty room. “I don’t miss being king or the responsibility. I enjoy my job now working for Kaiba far more than I ever enjoyed doing this. This was a… duty. An obligation that I had no choice in doing.” He opened his mouth to say more but they were cut off by a sudden voice.

“That’s where you belong, Cousin.” They both looked up to see Seth standing in the doorway. Yugi flushed, feeling like Seth had caught them in a compromising situation—even though he really didn’t—and stood up so he wasn’t on Atem’s lap. The current pharaoh strode forward, nodding approvingly at Atem. 

“Now that you’re back, I’ll start making arrangements so that you can reclaim your proper throne. The people will be pleased. We can name my child as heir, since it seems unlikely you will be having your own, and that will tie our two reigns together nicely. I’ll even work on getting your husband crowned as the Great Royal Spouse.” 

Atem tensed at Seth’s statement. He glanced at Yugi before turning back to face Seth and shaking his head. “I have no intention of staying here, Cousin. We have a life in Yugi’s time. Friends. Jobs. Obligations. We plan on returning home.” 

Seth looked stricken at Atem’s words, before his face turned to anger. Furiously, he said, “But you belong here! This is your home, your people, your throne, your  _ birthright _ .” 

“No,” Atem said gently. “You are all my friends and family and I love you with all my heart, but my time here is… it’s over, Seth. None of you even know my name.” It was like Atem had struck Seth. He stumbled backwards, going pale. “Cousin, my time has passed. You’re their pharaoh now and you’re a damn good one. My life is with Yugi.” He reached over and wrapped an arm around Yugi’s waist. Yugi smiled and leaned on the throne, settling so he stood behind Atem. 

“I never wanted this,” Seth finally said quietly.

“I know. And I’m sorry, Cousin.” He tilted back to look at Yugi, who rested his hands on Atem’s head. “But I’ve done my duty and died already. And I promised that when I got the chance to return to life, I would live for me and for Yugi. I intend to keep that promise.” Yugi swallowed hard before leaning down and kissing Atem’s nose. 

“I love you,” he whispered. Atem mouthed the words back before looking down to face Seth properly again. 

“I’m sorry, Seth. I know that’s not what you wanted to hear.” 

Seth sighed and Yugi was surprised to see his normally rigid posture fall. He looked so tired. “I made a wish to see you again. I had just shattered the Puzzle and placed it in your tomb. While I was there, I asked the gods to grant me one more opportunity to see you again. It was a moment of desperation. Then for you to so suddenly show up here…” 

He ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head. “The gods work in mysterious ways. I guess now I can move on knowing… knowing you’re okay.” Seth gave him a small smile. “I am happy for you. You and your husband. I do wish you the best, Cousin.” Atem returned the smile and nodded. 

“As I am happy for you and Isis. You will be an excellent king and father. Be well, Seth.” 

“You too...” Seth’s eyebrows creased and they knew he was trying to remember Atem’s name. Finally he sighed and opted to say, “Cousin.” 

It was like the two men had sensed it. It was like they somehow knew that Atem and Yugi's time in Ancient Egypt was over and it was time for them to return back home. Yugi had blinked and when he opened his eyes, he was sitting on a tiled floor, staring up dazedly at bright white lights. 

“There you are. What just happened?” Kaiba’s voice was annoyed, but Yugi thought he caught a hint of worry. Atem groaned from beside him before sitting up. 

“The Quantum Cube sent us back to Ancient Egypt.” Yugi sat up next to him, resting a hand on Atem’s shoulder. He looked like he had a headache. 

Kaiba tsked, setting the Quantum Cube aside. “Why would it send you there? How did this happen?” 

“I don’t know,” Atem replied tersely. He rubbed his forehead, trying to ease the pain. 

“We needed closure for that part of Atem’s life,” Yugi explained. “And who knows how the Cube works? It somehow sent us back in time to get that closure, though.” Seto rolled his eyes. 

“I thought all this magic bullshit was over. Ugh, what a pain.” He frowned, staring at the Cube before looking back at Yugi and Atem. “Go home; you both look awful. Take the day off tomorrow; I don’t want the risk that either of you still have some freaky magic remnants on you. Or if you really went to Ancient Egypt, that you may be carrying some ancient disease that’ll spread to the rest of the company.” Yugi and Atem both shared an amused glance. 

Even with Kaiba’s tone, they both heard the words for what he really meant. He was giving them time to rest and recover because he was worried about them. 

“Thank you, Kaiba,” Yugi responded with a smile. “We’ll use the time to clean ourselves thoroughly so we won’t get anyone sick upon our return.” His words were light but they all knew Yugi was teasing him.

Kaiba glared and sneered, “Get out of here. And change out of those clothes. I can’t have you being seen in those strange costumes.” 

Yugi looked down worriedly, realizing they had left their normal clothes in Ancient Egypt, only to sigh in relief. They were in a heap on the ground. “I’m glad magic is so thorough. My phone was in my pants pocket. I would’ve been pissed to lose that.” Seto rolled his eyes and gestured for the two of them to get out.

A little later, after having changed, both Atem and Yugi were walking back to their apartment. Atem had his arm around Yugi’s waist and they walked in comfortable silence. At least until Yugi spoke up. 

“My place is at your side, too. I know I told you that I didn’t feel like I belonged in Ancient Egypt, but I never would have left your side if you wanted to stay there. I don’t care where we are—I just want to stay with you. The rest doesn’t matter.” 

Atem tugged him to a stop, swooping in and kissing him deeply. “I love you,” he whispered against Yugi’s lips. “And I meant it, too, that this is where our life is now and I love that. This is where I belong. I’ve been shifted around through time enough, so I can promise you, Yugi. The only place I want to be is here, right next to you. This is where I belong. Where  _ we _ belong.” 

“Together,” Yugi said. Atem squeezed his hand in response. 

“Together,” he affirmed. Yugi felt the tension that had been resting in his heart since seeing Atem in that throne ease. His husband was right. It didn’t matter where they were in time or space, or whatever country, city, or house they were in. The only thing that mattered was that they were together.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have you ever looked up an Ancient Egyptian bed before? They look uncomfortable as shit. 
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading! See you tomorrow! <3


	5. Banter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the group gets ready to play games together, Téa notices a ring on Atem's finger. All hell breaks loose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yugi and Atem are engaged in this chapter.

## 5: Banter

It was a Christmas miracle they were all here. To celebrate Téa’s new debut as the lead dancer in the Nutcracker ballet, everyone had flown to America to stay with her and see her performance. Her show was on Christmas Eve and it had gone splendidly. Joey was proud of her. Téa had really accomplished her dreams, becoming such an accomplished dancer.

It was the day after Christmas and they were all lounging around Téa’s tiny living room in her apartment. Americans really went all out for Christmas and she had wanted them to stick around to see it. Joey had to admit, it was well worth it. The holiday had been more fun than he remembered.

She’d also asked them to stay until New Years to see the ball drop in Time’s Square. Only he, Atem, and Yugi could stick around for another week, though. Ryou and Tristan had to get back to their jobs, and Duke was getting ready to launch a new update to his Dungeon Dice Monsters game, so he had to be back before January 1st.

Still, they were all planning on living it up as much as they could while their group was still together. It was rare when they got to see each other like this anymore.

“We should play a game,” Joey declared. Yugi glanced over at him, lowering his book slightly. “Any game. C’mon guys, the gang's all here!”

“Yugi will just kick our ass,” Tristan said with a pout from beside him. Joey rolled his eyes, turning to look at Téa to his right. She shrugged.

“I have Monopoly. That’s enough for all seven of us.”

The call of games summoned Atem like a moth to a flame. He climbed on Yugi’s lap (making his boyfriend frown when he jarred his book slightly; Joey snickered at that) and grinned eagerly at his friends.

“I’m always down for some games! Let’s play.” Téa nodded, ready to stand up from the couch, but she stopped suddenly. Her head whipped around to Atem and she stared hard, zeroing on something on him with laser-like focus.

“Atem,” she began, and _oh shit,_ Joey recognized the dangerous edge in her voice, “what is that on your hand?” Almost like they had synchronized it, his and Tristan’s head snapped to the left to stare at Atem. Joey noticed Ryou and Duke swivel their heads also trying to see whatever it was that had Téa’s voice like it was.

There was a ring on Atem’s finger. He blinked. That was new. Atem wasn’t wearing that earlier.

“Oh shit,” he heard Yugi mutter.

Joey tilted his head, staring at the ring. What was… wrong with it? He didn’t get it. It was just a ring on Atem’s ring finger. A rather pretty one, really. A purple stone in the center of a normal gold band, a few diamonds on the edge. A little more flashy than what Atem normally wore but—

Oh shit.

All hell broke loose at once.

“You two got engaged?!”

“You didn’t tell us?!?”

“Do you have a ring, Yugi?”

“How’d it go down?”

“When?!”

Yugi looked blown away from all the questions, curling up slightly into the corner of the couch. Atem, on the other hand, soaked it up eagerly. Over-dramatically, he sprawled out across their legs, looking up at Téa and holding up his hand to show off the ring.

“Last night. He proposed to me on Christmas by the big Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center.”

“So that’s where you two went last night…” Ryou said lightly. He had circled behind the couch to peek over the edge at Yugi. “How’d you do it?”

“Or how did _both_ of you do it?” Duke asked with a cheshire grin splitting his face. He crawled over to the side of couch, placing his chin on the armrest as he stared up at Yugi. “Don’t think you can hide it. I see that ruby glinting on your finger, too. You _both_ proposed to each other!”

Joey could not believe it. Fuming, he ducked underneath Atem’s legs to peer up at Yugi. “We’re best friends! How could you not have told me??” In the background, he heard Tristan smack his forehead.

“It’s all about you, huh?” he muttered.

“We both had the same idea,” Atem said smoothly from the other side of the couch. “Yugi proposed first when we got to the tree and I accepted. But then before we could leave, I dropped to my knee and proposed back.”

“That’s so romantic!” Ryou was nearly squealing in Yugi’s ear.

“Yug! Seriously, man, how could ya not tell me when you got back last night Or had me help pick out your alls’ rings? Why we gotta find out like this?” He was practically climbing through Atem’s legs to get close to Yugi.

“N-no, Joey, it’s not like that. I couldn’t tell you because… well, because it was supposed to be a surprise for Atem and… well…”

“You woulda blabbed it!” Joey glared up at Tristan, twisting as well as he could at this angle. It gave him a neck cramp. He stuck his tongue out before turning back to Yugi.

“I would not’ve!” He turned his puppy dog eyes on Yugi, sticking his lower lip out in a pout. “C;mon, man, why didn’t you say anything last night? I could’ve helped you set the mood or something.”

Yugi gave a self-depreciating laugh before shaking his head. “Honestly, I was too nervous to think about asking anyone to help. I spent all last night trying not to vomit before I finally blurted it out at the tree. It did not go nearly how I wanted.”

“See! That’s why you need your wingman!”

From behind him, he heard Téa remark lowly, “You look like you’re enjoying this way too much. Are you going to come to your fiancé’s aid at all? Or are you just going to lay there smugly, looking like cat who got the cream?”

Atem laughed, before finally sitting up and slipping his legs from around Joey’s neck. He slid back to Yugi’s side, plopping himself back down on his lap. Yugi’s overwhelmed expression eased with Atem’s appearance and he sighed, immediately wrapping his arms around the man’s waist.

“We didn’t mean to not tell you guys last night,” Atem clarified with a smile. “We were just basking in the moment, though, when we returned. It hadn’t really settled until today what had happened.”

Joey leaned back to his normal spot on the couch, feeling whatever irritation he might have felt flee his body. He wasn’t really angry for Yugi or Atem not telling him their plans. Both of them had probably thought it would have taken away from the group’s time together or overshadowed Téa’s performance. Had Téa not seen the engagement ring, Joey wondered if either of them would have fessed up at all.

“Congratulations, Yugi and Atem,” Ryou spoke up from behind them. “We’ve been dying for one of you two to finally pop the question.”

“Yeah, it only took, what, three years?” Duke asked.

“Two-and-a-half,” Yugi muttered a little sourly. In a normal tone, he elaborated, “We wanted to wait until we had graduated college. And with Spherium II’s launch this past year, we got tied up in that, too.”

“It was, however, just a coincidence that we both had the same idea to propose on Christmas in America. Apparently, we both though New York City would have a perfect romantic backdrop for the proposal.”

“And…? How did that go?” Téa leaned over Joey to look at Yugi and Atem eagerly. “I know you guys said you were going on a date last night, so anything special happen at the restaurant? Or… where else did you go? Ice skating, right?”

“Haa… yeah, no. We both opted out of the whole ice skating thing. There were way too many people there. Dinner was nice, though.”

“We were both too nervous to really enjoy anything,” Atem clarified. “After we opted not to ice skate, we decided to walk around the city and enjoy the sights. Yugi led us to see the tree and that was when he asked.”

“How?” Ryou asked.

“I, uhh…” Yugi flushed red. “So… I tried to do it smoothly—I had been rehearsing this speech in my head for _weeks_ , but it didn’t… come out quite right.”

Atem grinned up at him. “You asked me if I wanted to still live with you. But you made it sound like you were trying to brace yourself to kick me out,” he said with a laugh. Yugi grimaced.

“When Atem said he did still want to live with me, I tried to ask, ‘for eternity?’ but it just… I couldn’t quite get it out. There was a lot of stammering and blushing and Atem looking increasingly worried, and finally I just gave up and kneeled down and held out the ring.” Yugi shook his head. “But Atem just sort of stared blankly at me so I finally just blurted out, ‘Marry me, please!’ and then felt a thousand times more humiliated when he started to laugh.”

“He was so cute, you have no idea. And the fact that I had been planning to propose but Yugi beat me had me in stitches. Before he could get up, though, I did accept. And then I dropped down on one knee and asked him in return.”

“That is so sweet,” Téa cooed. 

“So, any ideas on when the wedding will be?” Joey asked them eagerly. “I’ll be your best man, right?”

Atem and Yugi shared a look before Yugi shot Joey a hesitant grin. “Which one of us?” That made him pause. Oh, right. Both men were his best friends. Huh. Well, that was a conundrum.

He’d normally say Yugi, but then, who would be on Atem’s side? All of his technical best friends were dead.

“Maybe we’ll just share the bridal party between both of us,” Atem suggested with a grin. “No best man or anything like that. Just the five of you with us. Six, with Mokuba.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m sure he’d love to be in a wedding! Haha, we should see if we can get Kaiba to officiate it.”

Joey snickered at that. “I think you’d have better luck with Mokuba as an officiator. Serenity would love to be in the group, though. And Mai, too.” He could see from the sparkle in both Yugi and Atem’s eyes that they were bursting with ideas. Both of them were so excited for what was to come.

It made him… relieved. That was the best way Joey could say it. He was relieved that Atem and Yugi had found each other again, had finally gotten together, and were now on their way to making vows to tie them together for eternity. While he didn’t really have much fondness for marriage or think that it was necessary, Yugi and Atem made him think differently.

Those two were the two people that Joey firmly believed would mean it when they said their vows. He had a feeling they’d probably omit the “till death do you part”, too, since Atem had died and that sure as hell hadn’t kept them parted for long. Besides, from what Atem and Yugi had explained before, when Atem died—and now, he supposed, when Yugi died too—they would be taken back to the Field of Reeds or whatever. They wouldn’t really part even in the afterlife.

Joey kinda hoped Atem could pull a few strings and let all of his friends get into the Ancient Egyptian heaven with him. That seemed pretty shitty if they all died and none of them would ever be able to see Yugi or Atem again because they were off ghosting it up in another afterlife world somewhere.

“We’ll try to plan our wedding for next summer,” Atem finally said. “After our birthdays.”

“Married at twenty-four…” Ryou let out the words with a dreamy sigh. “Ahhh, just living the life, you two.” Yugi and Atem both rolled their eyes, but their smiles couldn’t be wiped from their faces.

Good. His friends deserved this happiness after all the shit they had gone through to get there. Joey was truly happy for them. Looking at both of them now, he couldn’t believe they were the same people he had first met their freshman year of high school. Yugi scarcely resembled that shy, awkward little dork that stuttered over his words and was beaten up so often.

No, his best friend was a radiant young man now, confident and ready to take on the world. He was courageous and fierce and had no problems standing up and facing down anyone who challenged him—bullies, villains, or just those looking to pick on the weak. Yugi Mutou was one ferocious package that was wrapped up tightly in smiles, cheer, kindness, and friendship. Because above all else, Yugi was a downright sweetheart.

It was no question why Atem would have fallen for him.

Atem, Joey mused, had changed just as much since the beginning. Not just because of the whole body thing, but his personality, too. He had mellowed out since his Yami days, no longer raining down vengeance and destruction on foes who crossed him or Yugi. He showed his awkward side more freely now, and wasn’t as scared to let his true emotions out. Before, Yami was always the one who had the confident smirk and the “I’ll never lose” attitude, even when he was terrified. Joey knew he did it as a mask, as a way to try and help them, to try and protect everyone.

But as Atem, he had learned to rely on his friends. He had learned to be vulnerable and had learned it was okay to be himself around them. And he was so much more now that he let his true personality shine through. He was funny and nerdy and just a total dork that oozed confidence and poise and love for all his friends.

It was also no question why Yugi fell for him, either.

They were soulmates, after all. Two halves of a whole, way more complete when they were together.

Joey smiled happily at them; both Yugi and Atem caught his eye and returned the gesture with their own beaming grins.

“Now, while Yugi and Atem fill us all in on all the details, let’s play a game!” Joey called out. “C’mon, it’s not a true party unless we’re playing something!”

Yugi pouted. “We just told you all the details!”

“You glossed over what happened. I’m not satisfied yet,” he said, crossing his arms stubbornly. 

“I’ll get Monopoly,” Téa told them, rising from the couch. “Though, if we’re not careful, we may end up breaking up Yugi and Atem’s marriage before it begins.”

“How so?” Atem asked.

Téa grinned. “Monopoly is a friendship ruiner. With you two, as competitive as you are? Well, let the marriage trials begin!”

Joey watched as Yugi and Atem shared a look. They grinned.

“You’re on.” Joey raised an eyebrow at the daring look both were giving each other.

“Nothing will break our bond,” Atem vowed. Yugi nodded in agreement.

Even when he joined in the teasing with the rest of the group, ribbing and joking with the newly engaged couple, Joey couldn’t help but reflect that Atem was right. There was nothing that would ever break their bond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's picture is based off of the "Draw Your Squad Meme" lol


	6. Deck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Atem uses a new card in his deck. He realizes quickly that the decision was not a good one when it ends up hurting Yugi worse than he could have imagined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, important note- I have increased the rating on this story from T to M. It's actually for language reasons, and not sexual content--though that may come in future chapters. I figured I'd adhere to the movie rule about one "fuck" allowed in a PG-13 movie and anything above that needs to be R. Well, there are multiple uses of "fuck" in this chapter so the rating needed bumped up, too. 
> 
> In this chapter, Yugi and Atem are only dating, btw.

##  6: Deck

He knew he had made a horrible, horrible mistake. He knew it the moment he saw Yugi’s eyes that he had gone too far, had crossed a line. There was a sickly, pale sheen on Yugi’s face that he could make out even from so far away. His boyfriend’s knuckles were white from gripping the metal railing so hard. Atem worried that Yugi might faint. 

Then his insides turned icy when Yugi walked away and left the arena. He had never walked away from one of Atem’s duels. Never.

Atem knew… he knew he had absolutely  _ fucked up _ . 

His only saving grace was that he had been forced to use this card against Kaiba now and hadn’t saved it for the championship duel against Yugi like he had planned. Atem shuddered to think of what Yugi’s reaction would have been if he had seen the card presented that way. 

He was pretty sure Yugi would have forfeited the duel immediately. 

God, he was an  _ idiot. _

Kaiba let out a howl of anger, which redirected his attention back to the duel. The combo Kaiba had been trying to pull off dissolved into a poof of smoke when his Polymerization card was negated. It left him nearly defenseless. He snarled when he said the words, “I end my turn.” 

Good. Because Atem didn’t have time to toy around with him anymore. He needed to go apologize to Yugi and promise he would never use the card again. 

Without the usual flair, he numbly ordered his Dark Magician to attack. That destroyed the last monster on Kaiba’s side of the field. Then he launched a final attack by Gaia the Fierce Knight on Kaiba’s life points, dropping him down to zero. Atem was declared the winner and would move on to the finals where he was to face the King of Games, Yugi Mutou.

There was going to be an hour break and then the tournament would resume with the final match. Atem didn’t waste any time. He ducked around the reporters and other duelists, heading straight to the balcony where he had last seen Yugi and Joey. Joey wasn’t there either. 

Gods, he had messed up bad. Really bad.

Atem’s stomach churned as he walked through the hallways, looking for Yugi and Joey. Joey would be comforting Yugi, he was sure. He wondered if the man would even let him get past to talk to Yugi. 

Damn it! Why did he have to be such an idiot? He thought he had gotten over his obsessive urge to always win, no matter the cost. He didn’t even mind losing to Yugi. Sure, it stung sometimes that he could never seem to beat his boyfriend in tournaments—at home, they had a pretty equal score on who won in nearly all their games they played—but he also liked that Yugi was the undefeated King of Games. 

So then why had he put the  _ goddamn card _ in his deck? It was a low blow and Atem knew Yugi would have seen it for what it was. 

A way for Atem to get the jump on him psychologically. 

He closed his eyes again, pausing in one of the empty hallways. If he had actually played that against Yugi in their championship match, if he had went through with it…

Atem thought he might vomit. 

If he had done that, he would have destroyed his boyfriend. How could he have been so stupid to think Yugi would have been okay with him playing the card? How could he have even fathomed of playing something that might cause his partner the slightest bit of pain? 

He had been surprised to find the card. Atem had been looking for something else when he stumbled upon it, flipped upside down and hidden away in the bottom drawer of Yugi’s desk. When he first saw it, Atem had thought Yugi had dropped it and lost it accidentally. 

But then he flipped the card over and knew Yugi’s motives had been intentional. It was a card too painful for him to want to see but it had too much meaning to him to just throw away, like he clearly wanted to do. So he was left trying to bury it. 

Atem should have put it back. Or he should have moved it into the golden box that contained their most important cards. He could have eased Yugi back into using it in his deck. After all, it was an excellent card—Atem would know that from firsthand experience, having just used it to win his duel, and having had it used against him to beat him. 

Why? What the hell had compelled him to place the  _ Gold Sarcophagus  _ card in his deck? That card had spelled his defeat in the Ceremonial Duel. That card had been the reason he had  _ died _ . 

_ Of course _ it was traumatizing to Yugi! And he was the idiot who put it in his deck without telling his boyfriend—the love of his  _ life _ —and had even planned to use it in a surprise attack against him. 

What the hell was he thinking?!

Atem turned a corner and heard muffled voices. He recognized them even from afar. 

“I don’t know what that dumbass was doing. He must have lost his damn mind. Playing something like that. I swear, I’ll—”

“Joey, please.” Yugi’s voice was so small and weak. It made Atem ache. Tears pricked his eyes. He had done that. He did that to his partner. 

“Of course, Yug. I’m sorry. What do you need?” 

“...I want to go home,” he finally said, completely and utterly miserable. “I just want… to leave.” 

“I’ll tell Kaiba,” Joey said. “Fuck the tournament. Fuck all of it. I’ll get ya outta here and… home? Or my place?” 

Atem held his breath waiting for Yugi’s answer. Each second that Yugi hesitated was like a knife stabbing his heart. 

“...Home,” Yugi finally said. Joey didn’t say anything else but he Atem heard him moving. He took a deep breath, bracing himself as Joey turned the corner and saw him standing there. 

Joey froze, his fists clenching at his side. Atem swallowed hard. It had been a long time since Joey had gotten angry enough to hit something. He had been steadily working on controlling his temper but with the way he was trembling, Atem was worried he might snap. 

He deserved it, of course. Atem definitely deserved whatever hit was thrown at him.

Instead, Joey released a long huff, walking past Atem. He unclenched his fists. “You’re out of your damn mind, thinking it was okay to play a card like that,” he snapped. “You have no idea how badly you hurt him.” 

“I know,” Atem whispered. 

“Do you? Do you, really?” He stared Atem down; Atem couldn’t meet his gaze any longer, looking down at his boots. 

“Enough, Joey,” a soft voice spoke. Atem’s head snapped up to see the watery gaze of his boyfriend. “Just let Kaiba know I won’t be doing the tournament.” 

Atem would not ruin Yugi’s perfect win streak, too. He snapped his arm out, grabbing Joey’s jacket sleeve. “Don’t. Tell Kaiba I’m the one who forfeits. Let it go against my dueling record. I’ll make an official statement later. Make sure Yugi is the one who wins.” Joey gave a curt nod and turned away. 

Yugi was leaning against the wall, refusing to look at Atem. “I’m sorry, Yugi. I’m so sorry.” He stood in front of him, wanting so desperately to touch him and hold him, but refraining. He didn’t deserve to touch him. 

“Why?” Yugi’s voice was hoarse. “You had to have known what the card meant.”

Atem nodded. “I just… I wanted to show you it was okay to use. That now that I was back, it was… okay. Those cards from back then, they didn’t have to be tainted by those painful memories anymore.” 

Yugi shuddered, wrapping his arms around his body. “That day… was one of the worst of my entire life. You know that, right? I’ve tried my damndest to block out everything about the Ceremonial Duel.” Even when he said the words, it was like he had to choke them out of his throat. Like every reminder of that day was nothing more than a bitter, painful pill he had to swallow. 

Atem stepped closer, reaching out but not quite touching Yugi. “I’m so sorry,” he repeated hoarsely. “I didn’t think it was that bad. I just… didn’t  _ think _ .” He ran his fingers through his hair, tugging on his bangs in frustration. “I knew… I knew playing the card against you without warning would surprise you. I knew it would throw you off your game some. But I swear, Yugi, I never  _ ever _ thought it would hurt you like this. I had no idea the pain you felt about the Ceremonial Duel. I thought because I was back that… that it was okay now.” 

Yugi shook his head and the tears started falling. He rubbed his eyes but Atem could see he was seconds away from sobbing. “It’s not okay,” Yugi whispered. “I… I… That day, I…” His voice cracked and he let out a choked cry. 

Atem couldn’t stand it anymore. His own eyes filled with tears as he watched the man he love shatter into pieces. He grabbed Yugi and pulled him into his arms. That was all it took and the dam broke. Yugi shuddered and trembled in his arms, shaking and crying. Atem hugged him tighter, trying to hold back his own sobs. 

“Th-that day,” Yugi began, “it was the worst day o-of my life. I  _ knew _ I was supposed to be… to be happy that you were going to finally be able to rest b-but I wasn’t. I was the one who sent you away. It was…I felt like... “ Yugi hiccuped, leaning his head against Atem’s chest. He started to relax some in Atem's hold, part of his overly tense body easing just the slightest bit. Atem stroked his back, wishing he could make the rest of Yugi's tension ease.

“I felt like such a hypocrite,” Yugi said. His words made Atem’s eyebrows raise in shock.

“Why?” 

“Because. We spent our whole journey saying that losing didn’t matter, that winning wasn’t everything, th-that if you just depended on your friends.... It would be o-okay. But it wasn’t. I won and you… you died!” Atem didn’t know how else to describe it, but Yugi simply  _ fell apart _ in his arms. 

It was clear that this had been building for years. Yugi had been repressing his feelings about their final battle for so long and today had been the breaking point. Atem felt even worse. He should have talked more thoroughly with Yugi about the Ceremonial Duel. He should have told him that it wasn’t his fault, that it was a good thing he had crossed over, that it was… it was okay now. They were together now and they would never be parted again.

The anguish in Yugi was too much for Atem. He felt his body shake as his own sobs mixed with Yugi’s. He had never meant to cause Yugi so much pain. 

“I’m sorry, Yugi. I’m so sorry for all of this.” Atem had no idea how long they stood there, hugging and crying, as he murmured more apologies into Yugi's ear. Slowly, though, he could feel the shaking in Yugi’s body subside and his sobs cease. 

Quietly, so quietly that Atem almost missed it, Yugi asked, “Did you want to win that much? Is that why you used the card?” They both knew he was referring to what was to be their duel, not his match against Kaiba.

“No,” Atem said, squeezing his eyes shut as more tears slipped out. “No, no. I would never want to win anything if it meant hurting you. I knew… I did know it might shock you some, but I never thought it would have done this. I would  _ never _ try to intentionally hurt you. Not to win some stupid game. Nothing is more important to me than you.  _ Nothing _ .” 

“I do know that,” Yugi finally said. He reached up and wiped his tears before leaning back enough to wipe Atem’s. “It hurt to see you use the card. It felt like… like you were spitting on my feelings. Like all the significance behind the card and what I had u-used,” his voice cracked, “it for was trivial. And then all the memories of our final battle came rushing back and I couldn’t handle it. It was... it was too much.” 

“I’m so sorry. I was such a fucking idiot,” Atem told him. “I just didn’t think. I won’t ever use it again. I’ll burn it, destroy it, rip it up—whatever you want me to do with it.” Yugi shook his head.

“No, I don’t want that. You are right. You’re back now so… so I do want to learn to use the card again. But… but let’s do it slowly.” 

Atem went to nod but was stilled when Yugi leaned up and kissed him lightly. His lips tasted salty, like tears. “Let’s go home,” Yugi whispered against his lips. 

“If you’re up for it, I’d like to… to talk about the Ceremonial Battle when we get there.” It was a conversation long past due. They needed to discuss it and let out all the grief and emotions that stemmed from the duel. “I think… I think we can’t move forward until we do.” 

Yugi gave him a teary smile but nodded. “You’re right. And then… then I think it’ll be okay if you keep the Gold Sarcophagus in your deck. I’m not ready to use it again; I don’t know if I ever will be. But I think… I think I can handle it if you’re the one using it.” Atem kissed him one more time before pulling away and gripping Yugi’s hand.

“Let’s go home.” Yugi nodded and began to follow him out. 

He stopped suddenly, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. “What about the tournament?” Atem gave him a small smirk and shrugged. 

“In the words of Joey, fuck the tournament. You’re more important, Yugi.” Atem felt part of the weight still in his chest ease some at Yugi’s smile. They were going to be okay. 

“You’re right. Fuck the tournament. Let’s go home.” They had a lot to discuss. The Ceremonial Battle was a wound that would not be healed easily and the pain may not ever fully leave. But they could start working towards healing and moving on. It was the only way they would be able to go forward. 

But when he felt Yugi’s hand lightly squeeze his own, Atem knew it would be okay. They were going to do this right this time, the way Atem should have done it from the beginning— _ together _ . 

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haaaaaa I'm so tired. I'm falling asleep editing this. If there are mistakes, forgive me. I'm not sure what I'm writing anymore.
> 
> Anyways, thank you for reading!!


	7. Sweater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi thinks Atem may be the death of him in that sweater.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning on this chapter! There is smut. I tried not to make it super extreme explicit sexual content but if I need to up the rating again, just let me know. 
> 
> Also, Yugi and Atem have been dating for a few years in this chapter.

##  7: Sweater

It had been a long day. Kaiba had kept him over far longer than Yugi had expected, going over the release day details of Spherium II. What was supposed to have been an hour meeting had evolved into a four hour argument, the two of them going back and forth about how to present the holographic display. 

Yugi knew Kaiba wanted the game to succeed and that’s why he was riding Yugi so hard about every little detail, but it was still so stressful. After he had won the world gaming contest with Spherium earlier that year, Yugi had thought it would all be smooth sailing. Then Kaiba had swooped in and wanted to release Spherium through KaibaCorp and make it compatible with VR technology and the Duel Disks. 

And he wanted it released that year. 

It was so much. Nine months wasn’t a long time to get everything in working order for Spherium II’s launch. But Kaiba wanted to ride the momentum of Yugi’s win from earlier that year and wanted to make sure people didn’t forget about Spherium. It was true that the basic version, the board game version, was a big hit. But making it digital would easily triple or quadruple the sales. 

It was almost all over, though. Just two more weeks and the game would be released and then he could breathe again. 

For now, though, Yugi just had to focus on getting through each day. 

He sighed, opening the apartment door. It was dark inside, with only the dim light over the sink lighting the apartment; Atem must have already went to bed. Yugi hoped he wasn’t upset with him. Then again, probably not. Atem knew how hard he was working to get Spherium II out and was so understanding about it. It made him love him that much more, but also made him feel horrible about how much time he had to spend away from him. 

He slipped off his shoes and switched to his house slippers, before placing his keys and wallet on the counter. Yugi was so tired. He just wanted to go undress, take a shower, and crawl into bed. 

Uggh, it was freezing in here, too. He’d have to bundle up. Winter was coming in strong; maybe he should turn up the heat? Atem hated the cold. He always joked that it was because as a pharaoh, he was descended from the sun so the cold just didn’t mix with his blood. Nonetheless, Yugi didn’t want his boyfriend to be miserable in this cold. 

“Hey, you’re home.” Yugi jumped nearly three feet in the air at the voice. There was a chuckle and an amused, “Sorry. I didn’t meant to scare you.” 

Yugi placed a hand on his pounding heart, turning around to face his boyfriend. “No, it’s fine. I thought you were in bed—” he stopped suddenly, feeling his face heat up as he took in Atem’s appearance.

Oh.  _ Oh. _

Yugi was suddenly awake and hot all over. He felt like his face was on fire. It was hard to swallow. And breathe? Yeah, and breathe. 

Even in the dim light of kitchen, Yugi could make out Atem’s appearance and it was  _ breathtaking.  _ He was leaning casually against the entryway wall, looking so sweetly up at Yugi. But it was his outfit that had Yugi so flustered. Which was crazy because it wasn’t like it was showing any skin—hell, it was an over-sized sweater! 

Yet… yet… It was so delectable on Atem that Yugi was uncomfortably hot all over. He fanned himself lightly, trying to cool off his burning face. He couldn’t stop staring, though. 

The maroon sweater was more like a sweater dress. It went down to Atem’s knees, loosely hanging on his frame but still showing off the curve of Atem’s hips. The long sleeves covered his hands and it nearly hung off his shoulders, showing a generous amount of his neck. Yugi’s eyes traced the lines of his throat, wanting nothing more than to put his lips on the succulent brown skin.

“Partner?” Atem’s amused voice snapped Yugi out of his lovestruck gawking. Discreetly, Yugi wiped his mouth, praying he wasn’t drooling. “Something the matter?” 

Yugi had the briefest image flash across his eyes. Pushing Atem back against the wall, hiking the sweater up around Atem’s waist, roving his fingers across Atem’s flushed skin… Seeing Atem’s head tilt back, his mouth opened in a loud moan. Yugi’s name crossing his lips like a prayer...

“S-sorry,” Yugi finally responded, tugging on his tie. He needed his collar open or he was going to faint. His body was scalding hot now. “I, uhm, I’m just a bit tired.” 

That was a lie. He was  _ so not tired _ now. No, all he wanted right then was to just grab the man in front of him, lift him into his arms, slip his fingers underneath the black leggings he wore, and explore his skin. Follow his fingers with his lips. But he’d leave the sweater on; he didn’t want Atem to be cold. Well, at least until he made Atem hot all over. Then his boyfriend would toss the garment over his head, his body bare for only Yugi to see, his skin glistening with sweat and—

“Are you hungry? Did you eat tonight?” Atem asked him. He pushed off the wall and walked to the fridge, rummaging around for something. 

_ I’m hungry for you. _

The thought was so potent, Yugi had no idea how he kept it from slipping out. 

Atem froze in the fridge, pulling back and looking at Yugi with a raised eyebrow. “What was that?” 

Oh. Apparently he hadn’t kept that thought on the inside like he wanted. 

“I ate at work,” he said faintly. Atem nodded, still staring at him a bit strangely, before taking a sip of water and closing the fridge door. Yugi popped the top button of his shirt, scared the heat inside of him was going to boil him alive. His boyfriend’s beauty should be  _ illegal _ . It was going to be the death of him. 

“Let’s go to bed, then? Or do you want to watch TV or do something to unwind?” 

_ You. You. You. I want to do you.  _

“I-I think I’ll take a shower first. And then bed sounds… fine.” At least this time, Yugi was positive he kept that particular thought inside his head. 

Atem was still looking at him in concern. He moved closer and Yugi was terrified his restraint was going to snap and he was just going to have to tug the sweater down just enough so he could get Atem’s shoulders. He would nip him, nibble like he was a delectable sweet, then suck and bite down just enough to leave a mark. A lovemark that Atem would have to hide with another sweater in the morning so that no one saw it at work. 

He pressed a hand against Yugi’s cheek and tilted his head, frowning. “You’re pretty warm. Are you feeling okay?” 

_ No! Not with you in that sweater, I’m not!  _

“Y-yeah,” Yugi struggled to breathe the words out. He could smell Atem and the scent—something so distinctly Atem, a spicy mix of cinnamon, sandalwood, and vanilla—was enough to make him lightheaded. 

Atem nodded, before leaning up and pressing the lightest of kisses on Yugi’s mouth. It made all the muscles in his body relax, because Atem’s kisses always calmed him, but at the same time, it was like he had just poured liquid fire in his veins. He felt hyper-aware of every inch of Atem. 

How Atem’s breath was lightly fanning across his lips. How he had just a slight stubble on his chin. How his hair was mussed, like he had ran his hands through it several times. 

And how much redder his lips could be if Yugi just leaned forward and tugged one between his teeth before he kissed him senseless. 

“I’ve missed you today,” Atem whispered against his lips. “It sounded like you had a rough day.” They had texted back and forth as much as possible during their downtimes. Despite both of them working at KaibaCorp, Atem split his time between testing games with Joey and working with Mokuba on promotions and marketing. Yugi, on the other hand, had the pleasure of being Kaiba’s other right-hand man (after Mokuba) as of late, as they worked through Spherium II together. Because of that, he hardly ever got to see Atem or Joey unless it was for a promotions meeting.

“If I never see Kaiba again, it may still be too soon,” Yugi remarked lowly. He didn’t mean it, of course, as Kaiba  _ was _ his friend. But he was also at his wit’s end with his perfectionist boss during this high-stress time. 

Atem gave him a sympathetic smile, reaching out and lightly massaging his shoulder. “Let’s go to bed, my love. I’ll help you relax.” He punctuated his words with a squeeze to Yugi’s shoulder and Yugi knew, logically, Atem meant that he would give Yugi a massage to help him relax and to ease the tension from his stressful day at work. 

However, his lust-addled brain definitely heard Atem’s words and added a sultry undertone—that he  _ knew _ wasn’t there—and Yugi felt like all the wind had been stolen from his lungs. Oh, Atem could help him relax, all right. He could just climb on top of him, lift his sweater, pull down his leggings (Yugi wondered briefly if Atem was wearing anything underneath the black pants and hoped he wasn’t) and just ride h—

“I think I need a cold shower first!” Yugi gasped out, stumbling backwards out of Atem’s grip. Any more touching and he’d lose what little restraint he had left. All he wanted was to pin Atem against the wall, lift his legs to surround his waist and watch how Atem’s eyes would get that half-lidded, glazed stare, his mouth slightly open as he tried to take in air, while Yugi entered him so slow—

“It’s freezing, though. Why would you need a…?” Atem’s eyes flickered down and his creased eyebrows shot up, his mouth making a perfect little “O” shape, as he caught sight of the situation Yugi was in. 

Yugi, on the other hand, was simply  _ dying _ . Caught between mortification and heavy arousal, he wasn’t sure what to say. Part of him wanted to apologize or tell Atem not to worry about it. Another part of him, though, was currently staring at the beautiful shape of Atem’s mouth and remembering how delightfully  _ hot _ and  _ wet _ it was. 

And,  _ fuck _ , he was in a bad way. 

Yugi raked his fingers through his hair, snapping his eyes away and forcibly turning his head to the side to look at the very safe, and not tantalizingly alluring, wall. “Sorry. I wasn’t like this before I got home. It—you—the sweater.” He waved vaguely in Atem’s direction. “I’ll just—I’ll go take a shower and, um, I’ll join you in bed in a little bit,” Yugi finished lamely.

He’d join him _after_ he properly indulged himself in at least three different Atem-based fantasies while he was in the shower, that was. 

“Or… You could come to bed  _ now _ ,” Atem’s voice had a teasing lilt to it that made Yugi raise his eyes to look at him. His gaze was  _ definitely _ sultry—Yugi wasn’t imagining it this time—and he cocked his head in invitation. “I may have another way to make you relax.” 

Yugi clenched his eyes shut, letting out a strangled moan. “Atem, you don’t have to do this just because I’m turned on. You—” His words were cut off by lips pressing against his, making his eyes snap back open. Atem pulled away almost immediately, though, not letting Yugi get a single taste. He whined pathetically, desperate to feel Atem against him.

“Hush. I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want it.” His garnet eyes were smoldering. Yugi was transfixed in his gaze, mesmerized by the heat and desire Atem felt for  _ him. _

Atem leaned forward again but didn’t kiss him. Instead, he ran his tongue along Yugi’s lower lip, tracing it from corner to corner, and then moving to his upper lip to repeat the actions. Yugi’s mouth instinctively parted and Atem slid his tongue along the underside of his lip but never going into his mouth completely. It lit every nerve ending in Yugi on fire. 

Then he gently nipped Yugi’s bottom lip, pulling it into his own mouth and sucking it. Yugi’s knees nearly buckled. His head spun and he had to wrap his arms around Atem’s waist more to hold himself up than anything else. There was a hazy heat fogging his mind and Yugi was losing all control on his reasonable thinking. He pressed closer to Atem, letting their chests touch. It wasn’t enough but it would have to do for the moment.

Finally,  _ finally _ , Atem kissed him, slotting his lips against Yugi’s. The sensation was too much; his knees went weak and his legs shook. Atem had to hold him upright. He cupped his butt, maneuvering him to press against the counter to help keep him standing. Yugi moaned loudly, thankful it was swallowed by Atem’s kiss. It probably sounded as desperate as he felt. 

There were fingers dancing up his vest, quickly unbuttoning it and then working on the rows of buttons on his dress shirt next. Atem pushed the garments open, then slid his hands underneath Yugi’s tank-top to press against his skin. His hands were icy against Yugi’s flushed skin, making him hiss into their kiss, but  _ god,  _ it felt  _ so good. _

Yugi was a writhing, panting mess and Atem had hardly done anything to him. Atem pulled away, his eyes glittering in the dim light of the kitchen. “Shall we continue in our bed? It’s warmer there.” Atem’s fingertips brushed against his nipples and Yugi arched into his boyfriend. His moan was more of a needy whine, much to his mortification. “Ah, I think we have to. We don’t have lube in here, after all. Come, my love.” Atem’s nails scraped down his chest until he reached Yugi’s belt. He tugged on the leather belt, pulling him away from the counter to walk. 

Yugi stumbled a few times, but finally got his wits about him enough to walk behind Atem. As soon as they got to their bedroom, Atem pinned him to the wall, kissing him deeply again. Yugi melted in his arms, feeling like his entire body was jelly. He lost himself to the richly sweet taste of Atem—he always reminded Yugi of a spiced dark chocolate—and just let himself relax into the heated embrace. 

Atem was still holding him up against wall, which was good; Yugi’s legs were quivering from the onslaught of sensation, so much so, he wasn’t sure he could stand upright. While they were still kissing, Atem peeled away his shirts, tossing them to the ground. He worked on Yugi’s belt buckle, finally breaking their kiss to pepper kisses on Yugi’s cheeks and neck. 

Once Atem got Yugi’s belt unlatched and his pants undone, he got derailed by Yugi cupping his cheeks and pulling him back up to kiss again. They spent a few more minutes blissfully kissing before Yugi came back to his senses just enough to remember how badly he wanted to taste Atem’s neck. He pushed back enough to tackle the glistening skin at Atem’s throat. He licked, nibbled, kissed, before biting just hard enough to leave a faint mark, sucking on the skin, and kissing it to soothe any pain away. He was rewarded with a litany of pleasured groans from Atem, as the man tilted his head back further to expose more of the column of his neck for Yugi’s perusal.

Yugi didn’t waste a single second, trailing kisses and nips down his throat. At the hollow of his jugular, Yugi dipped his tongue into the cavern. Atem let out a loud, “Nnngh!” and gripped Yugi’s shoulders to steady himself. Yugi grinned, nudging Atem’s over-sized sweater collar out of the way with his nose so he could finally reach his shoulders. 

While he worked on marking Atem’s exquisite skin with more marks, Yugi’s hands roved over his sweater-clothed body until he dipped under the hem of the dress. He found the edge of Atem’s pants and pulled them down in one swift movement. Atem didn’t miss a beat, kicking the leggings off when they were around his ankles. 

Yugi’s breath caught when he realized that  _ no _ , Atem was  _ not _ wearing anything underneath the leggings. Somehow, he felt even more flush than before. His hand squeezed Atem’s firm buttocks, before hiking his leg around his waist. Atem hoisted his other leg up, letting Yugi support the entirety of his body weight as he returned to kissing Yugi. 

Yugi pushed away from the wall, debating briefly if he wanted to take Atem against the wall or on the bed. Finally, he opted for the bed just because it was so cold. 

He wasn’t going to remove the sweater, though. Hell, Yugi wasn’t even sure if he wanted to take his pants off completely—but, they were pretty tight. It’d be too hard to spread his legs any. Mind made up, he carried Atem across the room and laid him gently on their bed before shimmying out of his jeans and boxers. 

Atem watched him with rapt attention, his eyes getting that beautiful scorching look that seared Yugi to his core. He spread his legs, waiting patiently for Yugi to join him. 

Yugi swallowed hard, wondering how he could even function with such a beautiful sight in front of him. He was trembling as he reached over and squirted lube on his hand, trying to calm the excited quivering in his limbs. Atem was all there just for him. For Yugi to touch, taste,  _ devour _ . 

He slicked his fingers and climbed onto the bed, settling between Atem’s parted legs. Like they had done so many times before, Yugi slid a finger into Atem. His heart pounded as Atem tossed his head back and panted. He was mewling, whining, wordlessly pleading for Yugi to keep going. One finger, then two, then three, then four. By the fourth, Atem was a wreck, desperate and flushed and begging. 

Yugi kissed him, entering him easily. They fit together perfectly, like Atem’s body was molded just to fit him in it. He never got tired of the sensation or the deliriously pleased look that always overcame Atem’s face at their unions. He began to thrust, enjoying the sight of Atem’s sweater slowly inching up his hips with each movement. It was like they were fusing together, becoming one again. 

He lost himself to the heat and pleasure; feasting on Atem’s whimpers and moans in between open-mouthed kisses. He reached down between them, gripping Atem’s length and stroking, matching each hand motion with a thrust of his hips. The double action was too much for his boyfriend. His groans became higher in pitch until he was screaming Yugi’s name, arching off the bed as he convulsed with ecstasy. 

Yugi clutched Atem in his arms, giving a few more jerks of his hips as he sought his own completion. It thankfully didn’t take long before the heat exploded through him. He rocked against Atem, riding out the wave of pleasure. His body was still tingling with aftershocks when he finally rolled over off of Atem, cuddling up next to him. 

Atem hugged him back, nuzzling his head into Yugi’s neck. They were quiet as they came off their respective highs. 

“So… this sweater does it for you, huh?” Atem asked quietly, his fingers drawing circles on Yugi’s chest. Yugi gave an embarrassed laugh.

“Yes. I’m ashamed to say it, but yes. I thought I was going to die when I saw you in it tonight.” 

“Hmm…” Atem pressed a kiss to the skin over his heart and Yugi could feel the smile on his lips even without seeing him. “That’s good to know for the future.” 

“So you can wear it again?” He slightly hated how eager he sounded. Seriously, a sweater had gotten him this turned on? A  _ sweater? _

“Oh, most definitely,” Atem leaned up enough to shoot Yugi an impish grin. Yugi swallowed hard at the look. “But next time,” he continued with a smirk, “I’ll know to skip the pants.” 

Yugi could only whimper in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy, I'm late. This prompt was Friday's prompt. I'm playing catch-up now, so I'm hoping to have Elegant's chapter up in a few hours. ...Once I write it, that is. I'd really, really like to get Infinite up tonight, too. Or at least in like 24ish hours. Gotta write that one, too. Yikes. I'm behind. 
> 
> Please bear with me haaaa, I'm trying. I plan on finishing this advent if it's the last thing I do.


	8. Elegant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi has a photoshoot to advertise Spherium II. His crisp, clean, elegant appearance is just a front, though. He is a cheeky, flirty imp and after being teased so relentlessly, Atem is quite determined to pay Yugi back in the best of ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I broke and made this story explicit. It's too hard to write mildly mature smut scenes. And back-to-back smut chapters? Urk. No excuse. Besides, there are going to be more smut chapters in the future. Not every prompt though. Next chapter, actually, will be back to regularly scheduled fluff. 
> 
> Anyways, needless to say, this is another explicit chapter with heavy sexual content. Yugi and Atem are engaged in this chapter, too.

##  8: Elegant

Yugi had changed so much. Atem could hardly believe that the man sitting in front of the interviewer, answering questions so smoothly for the camera, was the same boy that had once been terrified to give presentations in their high school classes. He was oozing confidence, giving easy smiles and perfect answers. To think that this was the same shy boy Atem once had to protect so frequently... He was hardly recognizable.

He had grown so much in eight years. 

“He’s doing great,” Mokuba murmured from beside him. Atem nodded wordlessly, smiling as Yugi launched into an enthusiastic description of the new features being introduced in Spherium II compared to his original Spherium. “He’s so warm and friendly; people love him. He’s so approachable.” 

“Kaiba mentioned he may become the new spokesperson for KaibaCorp besides you two.” Mokuba nodded. 

“You're his fiancé; you understand how charming he his. He has a way of drawing people to him. That’s a great thing for a business, especially when our CEO has a reputation of being a butthead. They make an excellent contrast to each other.” Mokuba gave a small smirk. “Seto and I’ve actually talked about this before. Yugi, me, you, Joey, and Seto can make a powerhouse team. Not just in the Duel Monster circles. Anything we touch can turn to profit.” 

“That’s why we’ve been doing so many photoshoots, isn’t it? To get our faces out there and sell more products?”

“Yup! Consumers eat you guys up.” Mokuba responded cheerfully. “Also, Yugi will be finishing out this interview with a photoshoot, just fyi.” He looked like he wanted to say more but something distracted him. Mokuba sighed, fishing his phone out of his pocket. He groaned when he saw the number. “Excuse me,” he told Atem with a frown before turning away. “Yes? What happened now?” Mokuba’s voice faded as he walked out of the interview room. 

That was fine. It allowed Atem to stare unabashedly at his other half. He could hardly focus on what Yugi was saying, too lost in just watching his lips move and listening to the smooth tones of his voice. Gods above, Atem was a lucky, lucky man. Yugi could have had anyone—even if he knew the man didn’t always believe it—but he had waited for him. He had held out for Atem and wanted to be with him and spend the rest of their lives together and then eternity together. 

There was never a day that went by that Atem didn’t thank every god in the Egyptian pantheon for giving him another opportunity at life and bringing him back to Yugi’s side. He did his best to show Yugi how grateful he was, too. Sometimes it wasn’t perfect; they did fight occasionally and feelings did get hurt. But they worked through it, talked about it, and made sure to work it out. 

They  _ had _ to work it out. Atem wasn’t sure what he would do without Yugi. 

It wasn’t like he wouldn’t survive if Yugi ever left him. He knew he  _ would _ , it was just, well… Atem wasn’t sure he would  _ want _ to live without Yugi. Atem knew he shouldn’t tie his existence to one single person, but at the same time, it was so true—he  _ lived _ for Yugi. He had literally come back to life just to be with Yugi. He had left his afterlife to stay with him and be by his side. Yugi truly was his reason for living. He was like his tether, grounding him in the present and keeping him going. But he still encouraged Atem to have dreams and motivations, wanted him to experience everything he never got to as a young king, and told him to make friends and live life to the fullest. He didn't want Atem to only live for him; he wanted Atem to have a full life, too.

All of it just made Atem love him that much more. Just the thought of Yugi made Atem’s heart swell. He was kind, loving, patient, intelligent, beautiful, just an all-around sweetheart and he still picked Atem above everyone else to be with. It was always ironic to Atem because Yugi so frequently said he was the lucky one that Atem came back to life and came back to him, but it was the other way around.  _ Atem _ was the lucky one to be with  _ Yugi. _

Maybe they were both lucky. That’s what Joey always said. That Atem and Yugi were made for each other and were lucky to have found their way back together. Not that they were lucky to be with each other, though; Joey was quite adamant that the two of them completely deserved one another. It wasn’t luck if it was fate, after all, and Yugi and Atem were simply  _ fated _ to be together. 

At the end of the day, Atem supposed it didn’t matter. All that did matter was that Yugi came home to him each night so Atem could shower him with all the overwhelming love and affection he felt for him. 

“Hey, babe, I’m going to go change and get ready for the photoshoot. You good here?” Atem jolted at his fiancé’s sudden appearance. Yugi was right next to him and Atem hadn’t even noticed. Yugi gave him an amused smile. “You’re really spacing, huh?” 

“Sorry,” Atem replied, shaking his head and trying to clear it. “I’m just distracted.” He gave a little smirk, winking at Yugi. “By you. Your ethereal beauty has my head in the clouds.” Yugi rolled his eyes before leaning over and kissing Atem’s cheek. 

He paused before pulling away, whispering in Atem’s ear, “Well, maybe you can think about some other ways I can send you soaring to the clouds for when we get home.” He nipped Atem’s earlobe and turned away, leaving Atem in stunned silence. 

Atem’s mouth was incredibly dry all of a sudden. He felt hot all over, shaky and weak to his knees. Yugi always did this to him. Atem just needed the slightest hint that Yugi wanted him and he was hot and bothered in seconds. Just those tiny words had Atem desperately trying to control his lower-half, praying he didn’t get a noticeable tent in his tight pants. 

He couldn’t even blame it entirely on Yugi. Atem was just so sensitive to Yugi and  _ only _ Yugi. When he was a pharaoh, a sixteen-year-old king who should have been in a constant state of sexual arousal given how many women (or men) threw themselves at his feet and bed willingly, wore next to nothing, and would have done their damnedest to seduce him and give him the best night of his life, Atem had felt absolutely  _ nothing _ for them. He had overlooked all of them, never giving a single one the time of day. 

It wasn’t until he was a dead man in the Millennium Puzzle that he ever felt anything close to being aroused and it was only because of Yugi. At first, it was only when Yugi was horny and would watch porn or masturbate. While Yugi was extremely thoughtful, taking off the Puzzle whenever he wanted to, ahem, relieve his tension, Atem could still sense what had happened afterwards. The lust would still be in their link and it would leave Atem feeling antsy and on edge—but in a good way. Still, that arousal wasn’t really… real. He wasn’t turned on because of Yugi, but turned on because he shared Yugi’s emotions and it was what Yugi had been feeling. 

No, the first time Atem had felt utterly and completely aroused by Yugi was when his host was eighteen and Yugi had stood up to some bullies in school. Atem had stared at him and felt his heart swell as he watched the once shy boy fearlessly take on men twice his size without a flinch. And it worked. They had backed down at Yugi’s glare and tone, muttering and walking away from the young freshmen they had been trying to pick on before Yugi had arrived. 

Atem remembered staring at Yugi and wanting nothing more than to have a physical body right then. He wanted to rush Yugi into the nearest empty classroom to have his way with him. It had been the first time such a potent, heated thought had ever crossed his mind and Atem spent the rest of the day hiding in the Puzzle, too mortified to even think about seeing Yugi. 

Then he had come back to life and it had just gotten worse. It was only Yugi, too, that turned him on so frequently and so potently. The most innocuous of words, the sweetest little actions, hell, even just the vaguely flirtatious looks—all of it was enough to have Atem in a heart-pounding, quivering mess with a raging hard-on. It wasn’t until they were actually dating that Atem finally told Yugi how easily he could make him hot and bothered. But Yugi, his sweetheart Yugi, never used that information against him. He was always so kind and considerate to Atem’s needs, never complaining and usually more than happy to indulge him in whatever he wanted when he wound up in such an aroused state. 

The one time Yugi had decided to actively try to seduce him, Atem had thought he was going to _die._ Yugi had just been curious to see how well he could really put Atem into such a state and had wanted to do something nice for Atem and… well,  _ gods, it had worked. _ Yugi actively flirting with him and working to seduce him, had Atem melting into a pile of quivering goo. Yugi whispering filthy, filthy things into his ear had, horrifyingly enough, made him prematurely come twice that day. Not that Yugi ever teased him about it. Instead, he would just patiently grin, waiting for Atem to recover enough so that he could give him a proper experience with his hands and not his words. 

Thinking about it again made Atem flush. Only Yugi. Only Yugi could do this to him. 

He needed a cold drink. Or water to splash on his face. Atem wasn’t going to survive this. All from one stupid sentence Yugi had whispered in his ear. Aggggh, his lover was going to send him back to the Field of Reeds much too soon. 

After a trip to the bathroom to douse his head under cold water, Atem returned to the main room. Yugi was back and was now starting his photoshoot. 

And, oh no. Oh no. Oh  _ fuck. _

Atem was hot all over again as he drank in Yugi’s appearance like a dying man in a desert. His fiancé was absolutely gorgeous in his clothes. Green jeans, pale green-gray dress shirt, black vest, and blue accessories gave Yugi a crisp, cool, elegant look. He was leaning against a wall, posing with his phone. Spherium II was launched, the holographic sphere hovering over his display screen. 

Yugi was at such ease, so confident in his own skin, and looking every ounce the perfectly modern and sophisticated game creator for KaibaCorp. 

Atem, on the other hand, was struck speechless at the sight. He could feel his face heating as he just stared dumbly, wondering not for the first time, how he had been so incredibly lucky to be blessed with such a wonderful, gorgeous man like Yugi Mutou. He was in awe. Tears pricked at his eyes and he had to cover his mouth to keep from letting out a whimper at the sight. 

Yugi tilted his head back at the direction of the photographer, letting the artificial light shine on him as if it were sunlight. Framing him in the spotlight like that… Atem’s knees went weak. It was like Ra was shining down on Yugi, showing Atem in the most blatant way that Yugi was there for him. That he had been sent from the gods as a wonderful, precious gift for him. That Yugi was  _ his. _

_ Thank you, Ra. I won’t turn down your blessings.  _

Then the photographer was telling Yugi to sit backwards on a chair. Yugi rested his chin on the back of the chair, smiling sweetly. He caught Atem’s eye and his smile turned more genuine. Atem felt his heart speed up and he was sure he had a dumb grin on his face. He couldn’t help it. 

After that photo, Yugi was spinning the chair around, sitting first cross-legged and showcasing Spherium II’s display again. And then he was spreading his legs, outstretching his arms across the back of the chair and looking like a relaxed king as he lazily held up the phone, the holograph of Spherium II’s map shooting out in front of him for Yugi’s easy perusal. 

That pose, though, had Atem shifting uncomfortably. His mouth was watering too much now. He wanted to just get on his knees in front of Yugi’s spread legs and take him into his mouth. He wanted Yugi to moan his name, grip his hair, and just let Atem go to town on him. Suck him and lick him and engulf him until he was writhing with pleasure. 

Atem bit his lip, doing his best to force the fantasy from his head. He tried to focus back on Yugi and realized his fiancé was staring at him. Yugi had a grin playing on his lips; his eyes got a gleam in them and Atem realized he knew exactly what was going on in Atem's head. Yugi spread his legs just a little wider, tilting his head so more of his throat was exposed. He had a “come hither” look in his eyes and Atem wasn’t sure if he was going to make it through the rest of the photoshoot. 

Yugi teasing him was a fatal weakness. Atem  knew he couldn’t take it and he knew Yugi knew it, too. Yugi was going to be the death of him. 

The photographer called out for Yugi to move elsewhere. Yugi stood slowly from the chair, arching his back  _ just so _ , and shooting Atem a sultry glance over his shoulder as he walked away. He shook his hips a little more as he walked, making his ass give just the slightest bounce in those tight green jeans. 

Atem had to turn away and bite his tongue to keep from groaning. This was torture and he was most definitely going to get Yugi back for this. As soon as Yugi was done, he was going to take his lover to the closest bathroom, lock the door, bend him over a sink, and take him again and again until the only word that came out of Yugi’s mouth was Atem’s name.

Oh man, this shoot was taking far too long. Atem had to fight down a sob when Yugi moved again. He was doing his best to catch Atem’s eye with each new movement and Atem was helpless to resist him. Yugi licked his lips, smirking, before turning around and purposely dropping a pen. Atem felt his heart stop, his mouth going bone-dry, as Yugi bent over. He angled his body so that Atem got a perfect eyeful of his heart-shaped ass.

He shifted again. His pants were too tight. It was becoming painful. Atem was just grateful that it didn’t seem like anyone else around them saw what was going on. Or maybe they did and were ignoring it. 

Yugi had to change positions again. As Yugi walked to the next prop, he casually stretched his arms over his head. His shirt rose exposing just the slightest sliver of milky skin near his navel. Atem let out a shuddering breath. It took him the rest of the shoot to calm his pounding heart. 

“All right, that’s a wrap. Thank you, Mr. Mutou.” Yugi went over to shake the photographer’s hand, talking to the staff and thanking them all for their hard work. Atem took the chance to slip to the back of the room. He knew Yugi would come for him as soon as he could. He needed the chance to remember how to breathe normally again, though. 

It felt excruciatingly long before Yugi was coming up to his side. “That was a fun shoot. I hope the pictures turn out well.” Yugi’s nonchalant tone had Atem even more worked up. He riled him up the entire shoot and then pretended like  _ nothing _ had happened?! 

Atem gripped Yugi’s wrist, not able to think coherently enough to talk anymore. He tugged and looked up when Yugi didn’t move immediately. Yugi’s eyes were smoldering—ahh, so Yugi wasn’t nearly as oblivious as he pretended! “I got you in a bad way, huh? Did I take it too far? I’m sorry, Atem.” He leaned down and kissed him, pressing Atem closer to his body. 

Atem groaned at the contact, feeling some of the air return to his lungs. He could never get enough of Yugi. No matter how many times they were together, no matter how many times they kissed, no matter how much they touched, it was never enough. 

“I’ll make it up to you. You can do whatever you want to me. I’m yours,” Yugi whispered against his lips before kissing him again, slipping his tongue into Atem’s mouth. Atem collapsed into Yugi’s arms, too heated to keep standing. The kiss was desperate on Atem’s part, wanting to taste Yugi so badly. Yugi indulged him, opening his mouth so that Atem could explore it, but finally had to pull away. 

“I’ll let you do whatever you want to me, but we have to wait until we’re home. Or at least not here. Come on, we came with Mokuba. We have to go back to work.” Atem groaned in frustration but knew Yugi was right. He took a few more seconds of solace in Yugi’s arms before pushing away and nodding. 

“But we’re not waiting until we get home,” Atem hissed. “We’re going in my office. Or yours. And I’m bending you over the desk and taking you until you can’t think. Just like you do to me.” Yugi flushed and he nodded, but his smile was definitely eager. 

The ride back to KaibaCorp was  _ excruciating _ . Mokuba chatted mostly with Yugi, talking about the interview and the photoshoot. Once they got in the building, though, Yugi made a reasonable excuse to dip back to his office. Mokuba nodded, telling him to take a lunch and they would meet back in a few hours. 

Perfect. 

Atem practically dragged Yugi into the elevator and up to the floor where Yugi’s office was. Thankfully, there weren’t many other offices on the floor and today it appeared to be almost entirely deserted. One other game designer was in his office, but it was the room closest to the elevator and farthest from Yugi’s. 

They got into Yugi’s office and shut the door, locking it. Yugi grinned, clearing a space on his desk and making sure his paperwork and computer monitors were out of the way. Then he hopped onto the wooden desk and smiled. “I’m all yours.” 

“Good.” Atem surged forward, kissing Yugi hard. He wasted no time unbuckling Yugi’s belt and unzipping his jeans, tugging them down around his thighs. He shoved his hands up Yugi’s shirt, tweaking his nipples and grazing his nails across his skin. Atem refused to break the kiss, loving the moans Yugi was exhaling into his mouth. 

When he finally broke apart, it was to deftly unbutton Yugi’s vest and dress shirt. He loosened his tie and shoved open the top, trailing hot kisses down Yugi’s throat and chest before latching onto a rosy nipple. Yugi groaned, threading his fingers in Atem’s hair. He arched into Atem’s mouth, letting out another moan when Atem switched to his other nipple. 

It wasn’t enough. Atem needed  _ more _ . He needed more of Yugi’s sweet citrusy skin, more of Yugi’s mewling words, more of Yugi’s elegant composure to shatter, and just  _ more _ of Yugi. He kissed down Yugi’s chest, swirling his tongue in Yugi’s navel that made him squirm, before licking down his hipbones and kissing his inner thigh. Atem was on his knees, staring at the erect cock in front of him and he felt the burning inside his chest erupt. He could  _ never  _ get enough of Yugi. 

Atem gave a few licks before engulfing his tip and sucking. Yugi threw his head back and dropped his hands to the desk edge, gripping hard. He hissed, clearly trying to keep his voice low. Atem didn’t relent, kissing, licking, sucking, and bringing his hand up to touch the areas where his mouth couldn’t reach. Yugi was nearly coming off the desk, his hips wanting to thrust instinctively but he was restraining himself so that he didn’t shove himself too far down Atem’s throat and make him gag.

Even when he was in the height of pleasure, he still thought about Atem’s comfort. God, Atem loved this man. 

He gave a particularly hard suck and Yugi gasped, arching and coming into his mouth suddenly. Judging from Yugi’s expression, he hadn’t quite expected to come so quickly. Atem swallowed, giving a gentle smile and rising back to his feet. “Are you still able to continue or do you want to stop?” he asked. Yugi took a few deep breaths but shook his head. 

“No, no. You didn’t finish. I’m okay—as long as you wanted to take me today, that is?” He glanced down at his waist and gave an embarrassed chuckle. “I don’t think I can really, erm, perform.” 

“Oh no, I wanted to bend you over and make you mine,” Atem told him with a devilish grin. “...You have—?” Yugi grinned and nodded, reaching back into his desk drawer and brandishing a tube of lube. 

“I’ve always fantasized that this would happen. I wanted to be prepared.” 

Was it possible to love Yugi anymore than he already did? He wasn’t sure. But damn, it felt like every day he loved him more and more. 

Yugi was more than eager to bend over the desk, letting his pants fall to his ankles. Atem unbuttoned his own jeans, tugging them down, before he oiled his fingers and delicately pushed one into Yugi’s hole. Within a few seconds, Yugi gave a little wiggle. “You can add another.” Atem obliged, slipping in his second finger. He scissored them and stretched the ring of muscles, adding in a third when Yugi nodded. 

“Do you want a fourth?” Yugi pushed back against his hand, riding the fingers. He considered Atem’s question before finally shaking his head. 

“I think I’m okay. Go for it. Pound me against the desk.” The words were teasing but it still filled Atem with even more heat. He slicked his own cock before pressing it against Yugi and pushing inside. The man adjusted some, relaxing his muscles, and took Atem inside him easily. Atem gave a few shallow thrusts, making sure it was comfortable for Yugi, before plunging inside him deeply. 

Atem took his good sweet time, his rhythm unhurried. He wanted Yugi to feel like he had during the entire photoshoot. He wanted to build him up and make him writhe and beg. It was clearly starting to work, too. Yugi was beginning to pant, starting to rub back against Atem to encourage him to move faster. Atem refused. 

He could feel Yugi becoming impatient, his knuckles turning white from gripping the desk. “Atem, please,” Yugi finally whined. “Please, faster. Or harder. Or—or—something, please!” 

“Is this driving you crazy?” Atem asked, punctuating his words with a roll of his hips. Yugi moaned, his arms trembling to hold himself up on the desk. “This is how you make me feel. I see you, so perfectly composed and beautiful, standing there in your stylish clothes, speaking so elegantly… and all the while, you’re riling me up, bending over and teasing me like a naughty, dirty boy.” He thrusted again and the angle had Yugi tensing, arching backwards with a strangled moan. 

Atem wrapped his arms around Yugi’s waist, his hands reaching down to his cock. It was hard again, oozing precum steadily. He lazily stroked him. “You make me insatiable for you. I always crave you. I want to touch you and feel you and have you against me always. If I could get away with it, I’d never stop doing this.” He rolled his hips, striking the perfect spot that had Yugi shoving a knuckle into his mouth to muffle his scream. 

“I-I’m yours, Atem,” Yugi finally said after he removed his hand. “All yours. You never have to stop craving me. I’m always yours to have. Always, always, always. For now and for forever.” The words made Atem’s teasing restraint snap. His hips jerked forward and he was no longer smoothly thrusting, but now rutting against him in a series of furious, desperate motions. He did his best not to hurt him, but Atem was finally pounding into Yugi like he had requested in the very beginning. 

“I’m yours, too, Yugi,” Atem said, the words spilling without hesitation. “Gods, I’m yours. Only you. I’m yours. And you’re mine. All mine.”

“All yours,” Yugi repeated, assenting easily. It was enough to send Atem spiraling over the edge. He was thankful he didn’t scream; probably because the pleasure was so intense, it was blinding. He could only open his mouth in a wordless yell, too overwhelmed to even think about using his words. It was so powerful, it almost felt like he had fainted. The room went completely white, like lightning flashing across his vision. 

When he came to his senses again, he was panting desperately, gripping Yugi’s hips like a lifeline. Yugi’s breathy gasp and tense body brought Atem back to the moment. He clasped Yugi’s cock and stroked it; just the littlest stimulation was all that was needed to have Yugi spilling his seed all over his desk, his body finally going slack as the pleasure coursed through him. They stayed joined for a few moments, breathing and trying to regain their thoughts.

Atem slid out of him and Yugi turned around, resting back against the desk. His knees were shaking and his arms were trembling. He looked  _ wrecked. _

“Did you… did you learn your lesson?” Atem asked as he tried to steady his breath. “About teasing me like that in public places?” 

Yugi’s beautiful violet eyes flashed with unrestrained delight. “Oh yes. I’ve definitely learned my lesson.” He smirked. “And if this is my punishment every time, I’m afraid to say this may be a lesson I’ll be repeating quite often.” Atem laughed and kissed Yugi’s swollen lips. 

“Well, I can’t say I’m particularly upset at that. I’ll repeat this as many times as you need.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still working on getting Infinite up tonight. I've almost caught back up to where I'm supposed to be. Now... hopefully I can stay on schedule lol


	9. Infinite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi and Atem get married.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a panic attack in this chapter. 
> 
> Yugi and Atem are engaged in this chapter.

##  9: Infinite

He was nervous. Yugi stared at his reflection, trying to calm his racing heart. He couldn’t believe this day was here. It felt surreal. He adjusted his tie for the twenty-eighth time, wanting it to be just perfect. He wanted everything to be perfect. Atem deserved it all to be perfect. 

“Hey, Yug, it’s time,” Joey stepped in Yugi's dressing room. He looked wonderful in his tux. It was black with white trim, his dress shirt silver, and his tie gold. There was a silver star on his tie. Even his hair was brushed nicely. “You ready, my man?” 

“Yes. No. I don’t know. I’m nervous,” he admitted. “Is everyone already in position?” Joey nodded. 

“Well, Téa is getting Atem. But all the guests are sitting down, Tristan said. And Mokuba is ready to go, too. We’re all waiting outside the doors.”

There was a knock at the door, stopping Joey and Yugi's conversation. “Yugi? Can we have a moment?” It was his mother’s voice. Yugi swallowed and nodded to Joey. He opened the door and let Yugi’s mother and grandfather in. 

“I’ll cover for a few minutes. Hey, Mrs. Mutou. Gramps.” 

“You look wonderful, Joey.” He grinned cheerfully, thanking her, and slipped out of the room. 

His mother took a deep breath, scanning Yugi over. “You look amazing, my dear. I can’t believe this day is here. I can’t believe you’re getting married.” Her lip trembled and she cupped his cheek, staring at him like she couldn't believe how much her son had grown. Finally she pulled away and gathered herself, clearing her throat as she said, “I checked in on Atem before I came here.” Yugi jolted, looking up at his mother with grateful eyes. “He doesn’t have his family here. I thought he might like a mother to talk to before his big day, too.” She gave a shrug like it was no big deal, even though it was. Yugi was infinitely thankful for his mother right then.

Her words made Yugi hug her tightly. “Thank you, Mama. And… how is he?” She pulled out of his hug, reaching down to adjust his tie. 

“He’s a little… melancholy. Excited, of course, but this is a big day for him, too. And his family is unable to be here with him.” Yugi twisted his hands together, biting his lower lip. “Honey, don’t be upset. This is your special day. Both of you. This is your wedding. Atem isn't going to be sad for the ceremony; it's just a bit lonely for him right now. He doesn't have his father or mother to give him encouraging words or tell him how amazing he's become.” Yugi swallowed hard, looking down. 

“Just remember your new husband may need some extra support after this is over,” his grandfather told him gently. “We’re all he has, after all.” Yugi took a deep breath and nodded. 

His mother squeezed his shoulder and then gave him one more hug. “I’m so proud of you. You could not have chosen a better husband,” she whispered. 

“You’ve been our pride and joy to watch grow up, Yugi. Your mother and I are so happy for you and Atem. You’ve become a wonderful young man. You and Atem both will make each other happy and continue to grow together and just make life better. I just know it.” His grandfather grinned. “Besides, a man that keeps you on your toes in games is A-OK in my book! Hohoho!” Yugi rolled his eyes but couldn’t hide his own smile. 

“Thanks, Mama, Grandpa. And thank you for accepting Atem, too.” His mother waved off his words, looking embarrassed, while his grandfather continued to chuckle. 

His mom tugged his grandfather’s sleeve, pulling him to the door. “We don’t want you to be late to your own wedding. We’ll go find our seats. And sweetie, don’t worry. This is your wedding and all you need to remember is that you’re marrying the love of your life. That’s all that matters.” His mother shot him one more smile before his family slipped outside the room. 

Yugi felt the knot in his chest loosen. His mother was right. He didn’t need to be nervous. He didn’t need to be scared. He was about to ceremonially bind himself to the man of his dreams. The man he loved more than life itself. Atem was the only thing that mattered. 

There was another knock and Joey poked his head in. “You ready, Yug? It’s past time.” Yugi almost went to fidget with his tie again but refrained. He didn’t need to. No, it was time now. 

“I am, Joey. Let’s go.” His best friend looped his arm in Yugi’s, leading him out. 

The wedding was outdoor. It was a beautiful venue (Mokuba and Kaiba had pulled some strings to get the location for them) nestled against Domino’s Bay. The ocean could be seen in the background, but they weren’t quite on the beach. It was an overhang balcony off the pier, looking over the beach. The overhang was made out of pristine smooth stone, with a white railing framing the balcony; it gave a dreamlike atmosphere, like a little private place nestled away from people's prying eyes. 

At the front of the aisle, there was a white lattice archway covered in flowers. It was where Yugi and Atem would stand underneath to exchange their vows. It was a mixture of flowers representing his and Atem’s cultures. Egyptian jasmines were intermixed with Japanese peach flowers and Japanese cherry blossoms. The pink blossoms made the yellow-white jasmines pop. Tucked beneath the flowers were Egyptian crinum lilies and Japanese orchids, both flowers almost identical in colors: white petals with magenta streaks on the lilies, while the orchid had white petals and a magenta center that bled out to a faint pink. On the edges of the lattice archway, alternating blue and pink lotuses lined the top. Between the Egyptian and Japanese lotus flowers were tiny pink Japanese plum blossoms, twirling around any bare spot of the arch. 

The legs of the archway were wrapped in a silver veil, golden stars pinning the sheer curtain and giving it an elegant, ethereal appearance. It was like a fairytale.

It matched perfectly with the white benches; all of them were decorated with the silvery ribbons and golden stars. Bouquets of matching flowers to their archway were arranged on pillars that lined the aisleway. 

“It looks so perfect,” Yugi whispered lightly to Joey.

“You and Atem had good taste,” Joey responded with a light nudge. “I mean, look at our outfits and yours. Stylish as fuck.” Yugi giggled, smiling brightly at his best friend. 

“They are pretty stylish,” Mai put in, leaning against the wall. Yugi shot her a smile, before scanning over the rest of his bridal party. They did all look fantastic.

Mai and Serenity were both in golden dresses that flowed loosely around their knees. The bodice was a silver wrap that crisscrossed over their bust and made an X-shape around their neck before connecting to the back of the dress, underneath their shoulder blades. They wore silver strappy heels and silver bracelets with golden stars dangling off the bands. Yugi knew Téa’s outfit was identical to Serenity’s and Mai’s—apparently, though, she was still getting Atem.

His groomsmen were all dressed like Joey: black tuxes with white trim, silver dress shirts, and golden ties with silver stars. Duke even had dangling star earrings. Mokuba was the only one dressed differently, since he was the officiator of their wedding. His tux was golden, similar color to the girls’ dresses, while his undershirt was black and his bowtie white. He had a silver star pinned onto his lapel. 

Yugi glanced around, biting his lower lip worriedly. “Where’s Atem?” He and Téa were the only two missing. Ryou, Duke, Tristan, Joey, Serenity, Mai, Kaiba, and Mokuba were all there, ready to go. Only his soon-to-be husband and the woman who was supposed to get him were not. It was past time to start, too.

“I’ll go check,” Joey offered. He dashed back inside while Yugi tried not to fidget nervously. What if… what if Atem decided he didn’t want to get married to him anymore? What if he had changed his mind? What if Atem was regretting this? 

Yugi’s teeth chattered nervously; Serenity and Mai both heard him and came over. Mai slung an arm around his shoulders while Serenity patted his arm in comfort. “He’ll be here any second,” she told him with a smile. 

“Yeah, that man is head over heels for you, Yugi. Don’t fret.” 

But the minutes were ticking by and Joey nor Téa had returned with Atem. He could see his guests beginning to get antsy. Yugi was feeling just as anxious. Tristan murmured something about checking on them and went back to see what was going on. Kaiba, surprisingly, followed him in. 

“Hey,” Mokuba began, clearly seeing Yugi’s rising panic, “it’s okay, Yugi. He may be feeling a little pre-wedding jitters, too. He’ll be here and you’ll walk down the aisle together like you planned without problems.” 

Kaiba was the only one to return, two minutes later. “Yugi. Go to him,” was all he said. Yugi didn’t waste any time and practically ran to the room Atem had been getting dressed in. He didn’t even knock, he just opened the door and walked in.

The sight that greeted him broke his heart. Atem was sitting with his head in his hands, trembling. Joey and Téa were kneeling at each side of him, murmuring to him in low tones. Tristan was hovering over him, just as worried. 

Yugi recognized it for what it was, though. Atem was having a panic attack. 

“Guys,” he said softly, getting his friends’ attention. “I’ll take it from here. Give us a few minutes.” They nodded and left the room, closing the door behind them. 

Yugi kneeled in front of Atem, gripping his hands. His partner was trying to breathe deeply but his rhythm was off count. He couldn’t regulate his breathing properly. 

“Breathe with me, my love,” Yugi spoke clearly. “Inhale for one, two, three… Now hold for one, two, three… Exhale for one, two, three… Again. Inhale for one, two, three… Hold for one, two, three… Exhale for one, two, three…” He repeated the soothing words until Atem was following the pattern naturally, watching as his shoulders relaxed and his shaking stopped. 

“You’re doing great, Atem.” He rubbed his thumbs soothingly over Atem’s knuckles. “Do you need me to get you anything? Water might be nice.” Atem looked up long enough to meet his eyes. He shook his head, squeezing Yugi’s hands tightly. “Okay. I’m not leaving you. I’m right here and I’ll never leave your side.” 

“I’m sorry,” he gasped out. Yugi gave his hands a gentle squeeze. 

“Atem, don’t be. You are the love of my life. I don’t care about anything else except making sure you’re safe and healthy.” He released his hand to tuck a golden bang between his ear. “Your breathing is returning to normal. How are you feeling?” 

“Queasy.” Yugi nodded. “A little shaky. Better now that you’re here.” 

“I’ll always be here when you need me. I’m just sorry I wasn’t here faster. I didn’t know what was happening.”

“I told them not to tell you.” 

“Ah. That explains why Kaiba was the one who told me.” They both grinned and Atem even breathed out a laugh. “I’m glad he did, though.”

“Me too. I was scared about ruining our wedding but it wasn’t until I heard your voice that I felt like I could breathe again.” 

Yugi rested an arm on his leg, laying his cheek on his arm and looking up at Atem. “Do you want to talk about it? What happened? Or would you like to go home? I’ll tell everyone you’re sick right now and we can’t do this.”

“Yugi, no, it’s our wedding.”

“You’re so much more important to me, though.” Atem gave him a watery smile, tears sparkling in his eyes. He cupped Yugi’s cheek, stroking it with his thumb. 

“I love you so much. No, let’s go through with this. I want to marry you today. I want to be able to call you my husband. I want to be Atem Mutou.” He leaned down and kissed Yugi softly. “I’m sorry for this. I think it was just… overwhelming. This day is something that I dreamed about since I was a child—my marriage feast. As a pharaoh, it would have been a grand celebration when I got a wife, especially my Great Royal Wife. But things have… changed since then.” 

Yugi frowned lightly. “Your family,” he said gently. Atem swallowed and nodded. 

“I never thought they wouldn’t be here. And don’t get me wrong—I would  _ not _ change a single thing. I want to marry you and only you. The thought of having to marry some nameless princess or something like that makes me cringe. No one can compare to you, Yugi. But I just wish… my family could have met you, too. My mother would have loved you. My father, too. He would love your kindness. Mahad and Mana... I wish they could all be here.” He took a deep breath and shook his head. “But I know they’re watching this from the afterlife and probably screaming that I’m making us late to our own wedding.” Both men laughed. 

Yugi stood and held out a hand. “Then let’s do this together. And before Mahad forces himself to this realm to beat us up for being so behind schedule.” Atem rolled his eyes. 

“Ugh, he would. He would be the one to break the rules of life and death just to materialize in order to lecture me.” Atem placed his hand in Yugi’s, standing up. “Let’s do this, partner. Let’s get married.” Yugi beamed and led him out of the room. Téa and Joey were waiting for them; both had similar expressions of relief when they saw them.

“Let’s do this, guys,” Yugi told them. 

They all exited the building, lining up to walk down the aisle. The music started and Mokuba began the procession, walking down first to stand underneath the flower archway. Behind him, Serenity and Ryou walked down next. Then was Duke and Tristan, Téa and Mai following after them, and Joey and Kaiba rounding out the group.

And then the music changed. Everyone stood as Atem and Yugi walked down the aisle, hand in hand. Both of them were smiling as they came to the end of the aisle and faced each other. 

“You look really nice, by the way,” Yugi whispered. Atem grinned and preened. He was wearing a long white tuxedo jacket that ended a little above his knees. It was a double breasted jacket, with four rows of buttons. His pants were white, with sparkling gold stars trailing underneath his knees. He wore a golden vest and a silver dress shirt, along with a black tie. On his right lapel, he wore three stars edged in gold with silver centers. 

“As do you,” Atem responded with a wink. Yugi beamed. His single-button tux jacket was black, as were his pants. He had silver stars lining his pants, though, dancing across his thighs and underneath his knees and on the hem of pant leg. His vest was silver while his dress shirt was golden. His tie, though, was snow white. On his left lapel, Yugi had three stars that mimicked Atem’s. His, though, had golden centers and silver edges. 

Mokuba started the ceremony, welcoming everyone on behalf of Yugi and Atem. He told a few quick anecdotes about his relationship with Yugi and Atem—”Everyone could see how much they loved each other, except these two! Joey and I had a running bet to see how long it would take for them to date. Joey won the dating bet but I won the engagement one,” and went on to talk about how their love transcends life and death.

“Now, with that, I’ll let Yugi and Atem read their vows. Both of them opted to write them to each other. Atem, if you would.” 

Atem nodded and withdrew a small book from his inner suit pocket, beginning to read. “Yugi, you have been the most important person in my life for so long. You’ve been my partner, my other half, my lover, and my best friend. Now I can finally add husband to that list.” He smiled softly, his eyes flickering up to Yugi’s.

“You have taught me kindness and patience. You’ve shown me my flaws and have stuck with me through all our adventures, when I was at my lowest and darkest. You’ve helped me make peace with my past and look forward to the future. You’ve supported me unconditionally, consistently offering me everything you have—your friends, your home, your memories, your life—and you’ve never asked for anything in return. I can never express to you how grateful I am to have met you and how much of a better person you make me. You are the light in my life.” He reached out and gripped Yugi’s hands.

“So I vow to you, Yugi Mutou, I will always love you. I will support you and encourage you. When you fall, I will be there to pick you up. When you feel weak, I will be there for you to lean on. I’ll protect you, comfort you, love you, and give you all the joy that you’ve given me. I will live life vivaciously and fully for you, making sure you’re with me every step of the way. And once we join my family in the Field of Reeds, I will declare proudly to everyone in front of Osiris himself that you are my light, my love, my husband, and my heart for all to know and hear. I will always be your partner and stand at your side from now until the end of time. I will love you infinitely and for all eternity. This I vow to you until the end of time.” 

Yugi was crying. He knew he was. Trying to stem his tears some, but failing, he withdrew his own vow book at Mokuba’s prompting. 

He cleared his throat, still holding Atem’s hand, as he read from his book. “Atem, you have been the most important person in my life for so, so long. When I was a child, I spent eight years building the Millennium Puzzle and it allowed me to meet someone so special—you. You protected me, helped me grow, and gave me the confidence to be who I wanted to be. Your kindness, strength, compassion, and selflessness showed me who I wanted to be and made me who I am now. For that, I can never thank you enough. I can do my best because you’re at my side. ” Tears were beginning to well up in Atem’s eyes, too. 

“I once told you I wanted to stay with you forever and that thought has never changed, even though eight years have passed since I uttered those words. When I was eighteen, we were parted and I thought I would never see you again. It was the worst day of my life when you left, and for the next year-and-a-half, a part of the light in my heart dimmed with you gone. But you came back to me, despite everything, and I vowed the day I got you back that I would never let you go again if I could help it. I’m reaffirming that same vow today—the same one I made when I was sixteen, the same one I made when I was nineteen, and now at twenty-four. I vow that I will stay at your side forever.” Yugi sniffed, trying to speak clearly through his tears. 

“Atem, I vow that I will always stand at your side. I will comfort you, hold you, love you, and protect you through all of our days here and on the other side. I will be your support through whatever trials we may face and I will let nothing come between us, not even death. I will follow you wherever you may go and when you feel low or dark, I will banish the shadows and pull you up so we can feel the light together. You’re my other self, my soulmate, my partner, and I will love you unconditionally for all eternity. My love for you is infinite and I will never stop loving you. This I vow to you until the end of time.” 

There were sniffles all around them. Yugi and Atem both glanced over when Tristan let out a particularly loud sob, soon joined in by Joey. Still, even Téa and Serenity were crying, and it looked like Duke and Ryou had tears shining in their eyes, too. 

Mokuba cleared his throat, getting everyone’s attention. “With the vows now spoken, I must ask. Atem, do you take Yugi as your husband to love and to cherish, protect and defend, encourage and comfort, from now until the end of time?” 

“I do.” 

“And Yugi, do you take Atem as your husband to love and to cherish, protect and defend, encourage and comfort, from now until the end of time?” 

“I do.” 

He grinned and withdrew two ring boxes from his pockets. He handed one to each of them. “I was informed by a trusted source,” he winked at Atem, “that even the Ancient Egyptians used rings to symbolize their love and commitment to one another. While not used for weddings exactly, the ring still symbolized eternal, everlasting love and undying commitment for all time. Since a ring has no beginning or end, it was used to represent that love would also have no end; in fact, the hole in the ring is representative of a door to the future. So with that being said, please remove the rings,” both of them did so, handing the empty boxes to Joey and Kaiba, “and place them on the other’s finger while repeating these vows.” Both nodded. Mokuba turned slightly towards Atem. 

“With this ring, I pledge my eternal, everlasting love and undying commitment to you; we shall have no end and look ahead to our future as partners and husbands.” 

Atem slipped the golden band with the garnet embedded in it onto Yugi’s ring finger. “Yugi Mutou, with this ring, I pledge my eternal, everlasting love and undying commitment to you; we shall have no end and look ahead to our future as partners and husbands,” he said, repeating the vow. Mokuba nodded towards Yugi, saying the words once more. Yugi slid the golden wedding band with an amethyst on it onto Atem’s finger, saying his vow as he did so. 

“Now, seal the deal with a kiss!” Yugi leaned forward, cupping Atem’s cheeks, and kissed him hard. Atem was trembling but responded eagerly. They broke apart after a few whistles and catcalls from their friends.

“It’s my pleasure and honor to now announce you as Mr. Yugi and Atem Mutou!” The crowd stood, clapping as Atem and Yugi locked hands and turned to walk down the aisle. At the last second, though, Yugi swooped Atem up into his arms, carrying him bridal style. Atem laughed, nuzzling into Yugi’s chest as he began to stride down the aisle, beaming with joy. 

They were both smiling so brightly, overjoyed and delirious with happiness. 

They were officially married. They would not part from each other in this lifetime, or the next. The golden rings on their fingers were symbols of that infinite love and everlasting bond they had sworn upon. And one day, they would show those rings to Atem’s family after having lived a full, happy, and loving life together. 

This was only the beginning for them. But there was no rush; after all, they had all eternity to spend together as husbands. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never want to see another flower again for the rest of my life. My hand is killing me. 
> 
> This chapter is really late. Blame the flowers. Today's (err, yesterday's?) prompt Return is totally done. I'm just too tired to edit the chapter and post it tonight. I'll try to get it up tomorrow during my lunch break or after work.


	10. Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coming back to life had some strings attached. It turns out that one of them is that Atem couldn't be separated from Yugi for too long or he would literally die. On the plus side, at least that meant he had to stay at Yugi's side for the rest of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yugi and Atem are dating in this chapter.

## 10: Return

Osiris was an interesting god. Nothing what Atem had really expected; being raised his entire life to revere and worship him, it was a little unnerving to actually meet him face-to-face. He was... surprisingly down to earth. He had done the whole godly "I'm so majestic, bow down to me" thing when Atem first arrived in the Field of Reeds, but that seemed more like an act he put on around other people, like he was obligated to do it. The few times they had seen each other after that, Osiris was just... nothing what Atem thought the god of the underworld would be like. He was shockingly kind and gentle and even a little playful. He was always checking up on Atem, ever so quietly seeing how he was doing and making sure life was relatively good. Atem, meanwhile, returned to being a pharaoh and living out the life he never got to live.

Well, sorta.

He was missing some very, very key parts of his life that made him feel half-fulfilled; not that he ever said this to Osiris or anyone else. But there was a lot missing. No Yugi. No Duel Monsters. No Joey, Tristan, Téa, Kaiba, Ryou, or Duke. No Grandpa. No modern games. No Yugi. No electricity or showers or toilets or air conditioning or computers. No one to understand his references to pop culture or games. No Yugi.

The no Yugi part was probably the most important.

Atem tried not to watch over Yugi that much. When he first crossed over, he had watched almost obsessively and was dismayed. There had been a lot of tears and sobbing from his partner right after his departure and Atem couldn’t stand it. Mahad had been the one to tell him that it was better not to watch—so both of them could move forward with their lives. And for a while, it was… okay.

Then the Millennium Puzzle was put back together and Atem suddenly had a direct connection back to the world. And the moment Yugi put it on, he could _feel_ him again and it was the best, most comforting feeling in the entire world. When he felt Yugi fainting, Atem was filled with that instinctive blind rage that someone would _dare_ to hurt his partner He jumped at the chance to rush down there and save Yugi.

And that was when the downward spiral began. He took the Puzzle with him and severed his connection with Yugi. It was horrible, giving him the feeling like he had willingly chopped off both his limbs. For days after that, when Atem had returned to the afterlife, he was just... existing without much of a will. It was like half of his heart was missing. His friends and family did their best to comfort him and try to cheer him up but Atem couldn't shake off the sense of loss and disconnect.

Then Kaiba suddenly appeared one day to duel him—and finally beat him—and it was like life had been breathed back into his body. It was a connection back to the ones he loved so dearly. But then, Atem could see that his rival was finally ready move on. They were all going to move on without him and Atem knew he should be relieved. Yugi would be happy. They were moving on with their lives.

Instead, he was filled with unbelievable panic and crushing loneliness.

“He misses you,” Kaiba had said right before he left, seemingly sensing Atem's mood shift.

“Yes, but he doesn’t need me anymore.” Kaiba had rolled his eyes.

“He doesn’t need you anymore than you need him. That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t do anything to see you again. I may see if I can bring him over. I owe him that much.” It gave him hope. Atem felt himself perk back up after Kaiba left because there was a chance that maybe, just _maybe_ , he could see his partner again.

Atem had waited eagerly for Yugi to appear but he never did. With each passing day, he felt more and more listless. At some point, the desire to see Yugi turned into crippling regret. He wished he would have stayed down there and lived out his life with Yugi. Even if he would have been forced to return to the Puzzle for another 3000 years, it would have been worth it. Yugi was worth it.

He was moping on his throne when the god of the Duat appeared. Osiris didn’t look particularly majestic compared to anyone else there—well, the crown with the ostrich feathers was pretty grand—but the way he carried himself commanded attention. Atem had scrambled to bow and prostrate himself before the god, only to get an amused chuckle and tugged back up on his feet.

“You’re not happy here,” Osiris had started with the slightest bit of a pout. His voice was so soft—funnily enough, it reminded Atem of Yugi. “This is supposed to be the ultimate paradise but I've been watching you fall further and further into despair. What troubles you so?”

Atem had tried to come up with an excuse but Osiris had simply waved away his words, seeing through his lies. Finally, with a sigh, he had said, “I suppose I, too, would be unhappy if I could not see Isis. I always did think you were much too young to come back here. You never got a chance to experience life. It was not my will for you to cross over.”

“What?” Osiris had gestured to himself.

“I know what it’s like to die young. You were even younger than me. Sixteen is not a long life and you sacrificed it to save your people. Such actions... “ He had tilted his head and gave a mysterious smile. “I’m sure I can make an exception or two. I do want you to be happy, Atem.”

And that was how Osiris had decided to bend the rules of life and death and bring Atem back to life.

It had taken a little bit of time to hammer out of the details and get it arranged. Atem still wasn't sure exactly how Osiris did what he did, though he knew the god of the underworld had roped some other gods to assist him in the project. Nonetheless, Osiris appeared in front of Atem again several weeks—months? years? time worked strangely in the Field of Reeds—later with a smile playing on his lips as he told Atem that it was done. He would be heading back to the living world. However, there were a few stipulations to his revival. Some of which Atem wasn’t privy to until _after_ he had been revived (which he knew Osiris had done intentionally because if he had told Atem the truth, Atem wouldn’t have crossed back over).

The main one was that Atem was tied to Yugi permanently. Osiris had explained that Atem’s life spark was now linked to Yugi’s—he had to feed off of Yugi’s living soul to stay alive. It only worked because their souls were so deeply entwined. Atem and Yugi truly were soulmates; Yugi was literally the other half of his soul. Osiris had used Yugi as a base of sorts, taking the living part of him and tying it to Atem’s body in order to give Atem life again. He described Yugi as an anchor, like a rope that tied Atem to the living world. If he didn't have that, Atem's soul would, essentially, try to float back off to the underworld. Apparently dead souls didn't do well coming back to life. 

Making Yugi his tether had consequences. The only two Osiris had told him was that he needed to remain relatively close to Yugi to restore his lifeforce—separation of great distances for long periods of time could theoretically cause Atem to get a one-way ticket back to the Field of Reeds. The other consequence was that if Yugi died, well, so did Atem. Yugi was the only thing keeping Atem in the other realm alive so when he kicked the bucket, Atem was going to follow.

What Atem found out later, after the deal had already been struck and he was in his own body, was that it worked vice-versa, too. It was the final bit Osiris had told him before practically fleeing before Atem could get angry with him. If Atem were to die, he would drag Yugi with him to the Field of Reeds. Needless to say, Atem had been less than pleased at the withheld information. He never wanted his revival to endanger Yugi's life. 

But what was done was done and Atem was unceremoniously shoved into his new-old body with all his memories and name intact. Osiris credited Isis with restoring his body to pristine condition (a miracle in itself after it had been so thoroughly evaporated with the spell to seal Zorc; but Isis had experience putting together dead bodies, so it was all good).

His return, however, was not quite so nice. He materialized in the living world literally on top of Yugi. His only saving grace was that Yugi was manning the counter in the game shop and it was a slow day, so there wasn’t a customer in sight to see Atem fall out of the air.

Yugi had screeched when Atem landed on his lap, falling backwards with him in a heap of limbs. When he had processed what had happened, looking up to see Atem hovering over him with a large grin, he had started to cry. “I’m back, partner.” And the cries turned to sobs and backbreaking hugs.

Yugi’s grandfather had been thrilled to see Atem and Yugi’s mother took everything in stride, hardly blinking when Yugi told her Atem was going to live with them. Apparently she had been told the story behind the Millennium Puzzle during Atem’s time away. Her only response to Yugi’s words were, “I figured as much. Do you want your own bed, Atem, or should I just save the money and you two share one?” They opted to share.

Being back brought another slew of problems, though. Atem wasn't a real person legally and he was in a body that was theoretically from 3000 years in the past. Yugi's mother was horrified at that and had scheduled appointments for Atem for every imaginable thing: doctors, dentists, vaccinations, hell, even an eye exam! While Yugi’s mother made sure he had a clean bill of health and wasn't going to bring about the plague, Kaiba and Mokuba created his identity. He was the same age as Yugi, born in Egypt but was a Japanese legal citizen.

Atem's last name had been something of a debate—Yugi's mother had offered her maiden name, Mokuba was willing to name Atem a Kaiba (Seto, on the other hand, was _not_ willing to adopt Atem into his family), Yugi had suggested the Mutou last name for ease, and even Ishizu had contacted them and gave them permission to use the Ishtar last name.

Atem wasn't too keen on any of the options, though. He didn't want to be thought of as one of Yugi's cousins if he took Yugi's mother's maiden name, Atem didn't really want to be a Kaiba just as much as Seto didn't want him to be one, he despised the idea of someone thinking he might be Yugi's cousin or, worse, his brother (because Atem was definitely very romantically in love with Yugi at that point), and adopting the Ishtar last name unsettled him. 

He finally decided on something simple. Sennen. After all, the Millennium Puzzle was what gave him the chance to meet Yugi and live his life in the modern century in the first place. It seemed fitting.

The first two months back had been a lot to handle as he adjusted. He and Yugi talked frequently after the first month about moving out together, mostly to get a new sense of normal established. It took them another month to finally find an apartment but the change definitely helped ground Atem. He finally felt like he was settling into his new life and really becoming his own person. Soon enough, he started college, being about a year behind Yugi. He and Yugi got jobs at KaibaCorp. Atem rose quickly through the dueling ranks, participating in various tournaments with Joey and Yugi. 

It was during this time that they found out exactly what Osiris had meant by distance, though. The first time Yugi had flown to America for a conference and Atem stayed behind, he fell ill rapidly. Yugi was scheduled to be gone a week; by the fifth day, Joey was calling him in a panic, telling him Atem was barely conscious.

Yugi had abandoned everything and Kaiba personally arranged for him to get home on one of his private jets that same day. The effect on Atem was nearly instantaneous when Yugi walked in the door. He perked up, sitting up and talking for the first time in a day. Yugi refused to leave his side for two weeks straight.

They experimented after that. The farther away Yugi was, the more it strained Atem. The longer away Yugi was, the more it taxed both of them. It turned out Yugi was also adversely affected by their parting, but it just took longer for the effects to kick in. As the months turned into years, though, they both learned how to deal with it. They learned what was too far or too long and would either cut their travel plans short or demand the other come with them.

A week away was about their limit assuming they were still in Japan. Two to three days max was all they could handle when one was in another country or continent.

This time around, Yugi was the one that was gone. Atem was restless, tossing back and forth in their shared bed, uncomfortable and unable to sleep. It was going on day three and Atem knew Yugi was due home tomorrow morning but he had been away at one of the KaibaCorp branch offices again in America and that always made it harder. They were pushing it to their max limit of being away. Atem's chest hurt. His head ached. He always felt utterly miserable and drained when Yugi was away.

Hell, he had already called off work tomorrow. Luckily, Kaiba and Mokuba had both expected as much and had left his schedule free of any meetings or photoshoots. With the new Dungeon Dice Monsters promotion going on, Atem had been made a chief model along with Duke and had been spending a lot of time shooting commercials and photo ads. But if he looked anything like how he felt, he would be useless as a model.

Atem groaned, finally sitting up and deciding it was pointless to try and sleep. He was hot and sticky with sweat—his body always went through hot and cold spells when Yugi was away—and he knew it would only be a matter of time before the vomiting started. There was a pattern to these things, after all. Tired at first with headaches and chest pains. The second day brought fever-like symptoms with increasing pressure on his chest and limbs, like he was dragging himself through water.

Day three was the hot and cold spells, crippling headaches, anxiety attacks, insomnia, lethargy, more chest pain, and body aches. He usually stopped eating around day three, too. Day four was when it got bad. He would vomit most of the day, his headaches becoming blinding migraines, while his body became so heavy he could barely walk or talk. Day four was usually when he needed someone to stay with him.

Day five was slipping in and out of consciousness. Atem had never made it past day five to day six to see what happens when Yugi was in another country. To be fair, usually by day five, Yugi was feeling the equivalent day two or three symptoms that Atem had experienced.

Atem padded down to the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of water. He sipped at it, knowing from past experience that even though he felt so thirsty, if he chugged it, he would just end up spewing it out instantly. After taking a few sips, he laid his head miserably on the kitchen table, staring listlessly at the cup of water. He was starting to freeze now.

It probably wasn’t the smartest thing to wear short-shorts and a tank top but he had been so hot when he went to bed. He’d have to find a blanket to curl up in for a few hours. Maybe he’d watch TV and if he was lucky, he’d pass out on the couch.

There was a sudden rattling at the apartment door. Atem sat up straight, wondering who the hell would be walking in at—Atem glanced at the clock on the stove—3:34 in the morning? Joey had keys and so did Yugi’s mother, but Atem couldn’t imagine either of them coming over this late at night.

The door opened and shut quietly behind the person. Atem heard shuffling and something heavy drop on the floor.

His chest felt lighter than it had in days. Atem took a deep breath and _knew_ who was there. He bounded up and over to the entryway, meeting Yugi in the doorway. Atem nearly bowled him over, jumping into his arms and kissing him without warning. His limbs felt light as a feather suddenly, his body easing the aches and pains that had plagued him for so many days.

“You’re still up,” Yugi responded with a smile, twirling him around. “How are you feeling?”

“So much better now that you’re here.” Yugi kissed his forehead, before swinging his legs up to hold him closer to his chest. Atem wrapped his arms around Yugi's neck, nuzzling into the hold as he was carried into the kitchen. They both knew that the first day back after being parted from one another would make both of them clingy. Besides, the more they touched, the better they felt. It was like their souls had to re-energize each other.

It still made Atem grin thinking about the first time he had left Yugi alone for three days. While he was feeling pretty miserable by his return, he was shocked when he arrived home to see how awful Yugi looked, too. They had just started dating then and when Atem had walked in that evening, Yugi had dropped what he was doing to greet Atem.

And by greet, he had opted to run and jump into Atem’s arms, his legs wrapping around his waist, his arms winding around his neck, and Yugi simply _clung_ to Atem. It was like he was a koala bear. Yugi refused to climb off of him for the rest of the night, too—not that Atem really complained. If he had to carry around his boyfriend all night because said boyfriend missed him _that much_ , well that was a sacrifice Atem was happy to make.

“Are you up to drinking tea? Or do you want to go to bed?”

“Tea sounds nice,” Atem murmured into the crook of Yugi’s neck as he readjusted to make it easier for Yugi to hold him. His legs wrapped around Yugi's waist to help support some of his own weight and he settled more on Yugi's hip, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. He was beginning to feel a little sleepy. “Then can we curl up and watch TV together?”

“Of course, my love.” They had done this hold enough times to know how to maneuver comfortably with each other. Yugi worked smoothly with Atem in his arms, deftly making the tea and handing the cups to Atem to carry while he continued to hold Atem. He settled on the living room couch, letting Atem snuggle into his side.

“You’ve got to be freezing,” Yugi finally murmured. He tossed the Marshmallon blanket around their shoulders but it was Yugi's body heat that warmed Atem more than anything. 

“A little," Atem finally said. "Not as much with you here. I’m feeling better, too.” Yugi smiled and kissed Atem’s forehead in response. He turned on the TV and both of them settled in, relaxing in the other’s embrace.

It was these moments, after one of them had returned, that made living with the side effects of Atem's revival not nearly as bad as they seemed. They had learned and adapted to the conditions and Atem always appreciated how gracefully and easily Yugi accepted these challenges in their life. He just simply readjusted his plans and worked with whatever he got, never complaining. His adaptability was one of the reasons Atem had fallen so head-over-heels for Yugi. Of course, Yugi had always smiled so breathtakingly whenever Atem apologized for his difficult conditions that came from coming back to life.

"You're here with me," he always said. "I'll live with any side effects if it means you're always going to be here with me. Besides, it just means we'll always return to one another. And for that, I wouldn't change a single thing. I'm just infinitely grateful that you came back to me. That's what matters the most."

The side effects of Atem’s return would never go away. It was something both he and Yugi had to learn to live with and adapt to. Yet, even with all the inconvenience and worry it caused, Atem had to admit, if he was given the opportunity to go back to the Field of Reeds, he wouldn't take it. No, he wouldn’t change any of it so long as he got to remain at Yugi's side. To be in Yugi’s arms was far better than what the afterlife could offer anyways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Osiris was apparently 28 when he died. I feel like he'd be pretty sympathetic to Atem about the whole dying early thing. He knows first hand it kinda really sucks. 
> 
> Anyways, I'm crossing my fingers I'll get the Match prompt done tonight and uploaded. If not, tomorrow then haha I may just be forever stuck at a day behind on these prompts.


	11. Match

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi gives Atem a victory kiss after he wins his match against Kaiba. The next day, that kiss is front page news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yugi and Atem are dating in this chapter. It takes place about a month or so after Chapter 3.

##  11: Match

Kaiba was glaring at him, which while not that unusual of an occurrence, it was typically not the first thing he did when he called Yugi in for a meeting. Usually he at least waited for Yugi to say something. Atem or Joey were normally the ones that got Kaiba’s auto glare. That made Yugi a little nervous.

His boss didn’t say anything and simply slid his tablet across the desk. That made Yugi’s stomach churn slightly. It wasn’t a good sign when Kaiba was this silent and had scheduled a meeting first thing on a Monday morning without warning. All Yugi could assume was that it had something to do with the tournament yesterday.

But Kaiba never let his losses affect their business relationship. And Yugi hadn't even participated yesterday; he had opted out of the tournament. It was a qualifying tournament for the world Duel Monsters tournament coming up in a few months. Since Yugi was already the world champion from the previous year, he got invited to participate automatically. He didn’t even need to qualify in the national tournaments. 

Yesterday had been the Japanese national tournament. Atem had defeated Kaiba (though Kaiba and Joey both had so many tournament wins and points that both of them were qualified for the world tournament) and had been declared the Japanese national champion. It was the first time in years that someone, besides Yugi, had dethroned Kaiba. Kaiba had been the national champion (still excluding Yugi, since as King of Games, he was ranked higher than a national champion) for years. Atem had just broken that streak.

Still, Kaiba typically didn’t get this upset about things like that anymore. He hated to lose, of course, but it had been such a close match yesterday that it wasn’t like Kaiba had lost any respect in the gaming community. Only 100 lifepoints had separated him and Atem before Atem got the winning blow. 

So what exactly had made Kaiba glower so fiercely at him already? Yugi knew Kaiba was upset at him for something but he wasn’t sure what he had done.

He finally looked down at the tablet and paled. A picture of him enthusiastically jumping into Atem's arms and kissing him full on the mouth after he had been declared the champion, stared back at him. The headline was:  **King of Games Finds his Own King** , but underneath it was a tagline question:  _ Is there bias in the gaming world? Did Yugi Mutou use his vast gaming influence to promote the rise of new national champion Atem Sennen? _

Yugi scrolled down, glancing through the article. The general gist was that people were suspicious of Atem's sudden fame and rising stardom, having never been a known name eight months ago. Now with Yugi's public display of affection, there were questions about their relationship—and if Yugi was somehow rigging the tournament to get Atem ranked so high up. 

He swallowed hard and went tapped out of the article, instead pulling up a list of news reports. Sure enough, the picture of him kissing Atem was  _ everywhere. _

The various articles were much of the same. Investigations about how Atem worked for KaibaCorp despite only being an undergrad student studying business and communications, and minoring in Egyptology—why had he gotten a job in the company already? There were questions on where and how he and Yugi met. Theories that KaibaCorp was rigging the world competition because of their partnership with Industrial Illusions. 

And then the other half of the articles were shocked revelations of Yugi being gay. He swallowed hard, reading the headlines. “ **Two Leading Names in Gaming Comes Out Publicly: Yugi Mutou and Atem Sennen** ”, “ **The Gaming World Rocked - King of Games Gay?!** ”, “ **The Hidden Truth: Yugi Mutou Steps Out of the Closet** ”, and so many more. Those were the nice tabloids. The more conservative ones disparaged his sexuality and wondered what prim and proper KaibaCorp would do with their prize and joy poster-child, the King of Games. 

Yugi tried to swallow again but felt like there was a knot in his throat. His sexuality had always been something he never really… advertised. He wasn’t gay, but bisexual, and it had taken him a long time to come to grips with it. He had only come out to his friends maybe a month before Atem’s return. Having it plastered everywhere made him anxious. 

His and Atem’s relationship was so new, too. They had only been dating a few weeks. For Yugi to have unintentionally announced it so publicly… He wasn’t sure what Atem would do. How he would feel about this. 

“Am I… Am I fired?” Yugi asked weakly, sliding the tablet back across the desk. Kaiba scoffed, raising an eyebrow. 

“You think I’d fire you over this?” His tone was derisive and mocking but the words were what really mattered. “You’re a valuable asset, Mutou. No, I’m  _ annoyed _ that they broke the story first. Something this big would have been far better coming from KaibaCorp in our own gaming magazine. Mokuba was planning on doing a story about it already but you—” he tapped the tablet screen, pulling up the picture of the kiss, “—decided to do  _ this _ . Now we need to get on top of these ludicrous rumors about you helping Atem rise to stardom.” 

Yugi nodded, his eyes flickering down to the image again. It  _ was _ a good picture. Whoever snapped it had gotten it right when Yugi had latched onto Atem, his legs still mid air from his jump. His face was pressed against Atem’s, who was eagerly awaiting Yugi’s embrace. 

“I suppose for all the coming out pictures possible, this is a pretty good one.” 

“We’re going to make a  _ better _ one,” Kaiba told him, a wicked, half-crazed gleam in his eye. Yugi recognized it instantly and cringed. He knew what this meant. It meant Kaiba was determined to make something into the best and that, unfortunately, sounded like it was going to be Yugi and Atem’s new relationship. “You work for KaibaCorp and I won’t have these disgusting tabloids make a mockery of us.”

Yugi sighed, knowing there was nothing he could really say to stop this. And it was his fault for getting too excited in public and kissing Atem without any thoughts of the consequences. Letting Seto Kaiba throw some grand exclusive interview to control the narrative was definitely not the worst outcome that could have happened. 

“We’ll do the interview this evening. Get the Pharaoh to come. 5:00 sharp.” Yugi frowned at Kaiba’s tone as well as the clear dismissal when he faced back towards his laptop.

“You know Atem and I do have classes and stuff at university, right?” 

“I don’t care.” Kaiba paused, looking back at Yugi. “Also, bring me your plan on the new Dungeon Dice Monster integration with the VR Duel Disk. I want a proposal of what should be added. You played the game; you know what needs to be there.” Yugi nodded. He’d noticed Kaiba had been asking him more and more for his thoughts and proposals on certain game ideas and new products. He had the strangest suspicion that Kaiba was training him or even grooming him to become one of his developers. 

The faith Kaiba had in him was astounding. Though they never really spoke about it, he knew he was one of the only people Kaiba actually considered a friend. He wouldn’t let him down, either. Yugi was determined to live up to Kaiba’s expectations. 

“Will do. I’ll see you tonight, Kaiba.” Kaiba grunted in response, not bothering to give a proper farewell. Yugi honestly didn’t expect anything different. 

Now, he had to talk to Atem. They were going public with their relationship. More public.

Yugi grimaced. All because he couldn’t keep his hands—or mouth—to himself at a stupid match. 

* * *

“So, tell us about how you met,” the woman asked him. Yugi forced a smile, though it turned far more natural when Atem gripped his hands and looked up at him. He released a breath.

Their interview had turned into a livestream interview, a KaibaCorp special. It was streaming all over the internet and if Mokuba’s pleased grin was anything to go by, they were getting quite the views. How Mokuba had managed to pull off such a thing in a few hours was beyond Yugi. The teen was a marketing genius. 

“I met Atem when I was sixteen,” Yugi responded honestly. “Back then, he was in a rough situation and it was just chance we met—”

“No,” Atem interrupted smoothly, his soft gaze still on Yugi. “It was fate.” That made Yugi blush and he had to look away, making the interviewer giggle. 

“Uhm, well, we met over a shared interest in Ancient Egyptian mythology. I used to wear an inverted pyramid—I’m sure you’ve all seen it before when I was in high school—and it was how we met. Atem recognized it as being an Ancient Egyptian artifact and came up to ask me about it. We talked and became close friends after that when we realized we had shared interests in games and Duel Monsters, and so much more.”

The woman leaned forward, grinning. “So you’ve been high school sweethearts and we’ve just never known?” Atem shook his head. 

“No. I was in a… rough situation during our teen years. It made trying to pursue anything romantic too difficult. While not confirmed, we both knew that I was likely going to be forced to return to my home in Egypt and it would be unlikely for us to see each other again.”

“I don’t think either of us ever really thought about being together like that back then. There was just too much going on.” Atem nodded, agreeing. 

“So then what happened?”

Yugi shrugged, trying to remain unaffected but feeling something pang in his chest. “When I was a senior in high school, right after I turned eighteen, I got the news that Atem had to return to Egypt. My friends and I actually went with him to see him off but…” 

“My family wouldn’t allow him to come closer. We had to part under less than ideal circumstances. There were… a lot of tears involved.” 

Yugi took a deep breath, feeling his throat burn. “It was the worst day of my life,” he admitted. His voice sounded raw. “When I returned home, I spent the next few weeks crying. I felt like he had died. It was horrible because I knew he was home with his family but… I wanted him back. I missed him so much and had no way of talking to him again. It was a year-and-a-half of just… hell.” He cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice from cracking. His eyes were on fire from holding back tears. 

The interviewer looked back at Atem. “And you, Atem? How did you feel during this separation?” 

“It was hard. I thought it had been the right thing to go back to be with my family but I had lost a lot in the process. Living without Yugi was hard. He had been such a staple in my life that I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. Everything felt lonely and half-empty. Like I was missing my other half.” He ran his fingers through his hair in irritation. “Eventually, it turned to regret and the overwhelming desire to see him again.” 

“And? How did you get back here?” 

“I had a distant family member,” Yugi was pretty sure Atem was referring to Osiris; something about the idea he was calling the god of the underworld his family, like he was a long-lost uncle or something, was extremely funny to Yugi. He had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. “He saw how miserable I was and worked to get me back here. It’s because of him and his wife that I came back to Domino City.” 

The woman raised an eyebrow. “That sounds difficult, though. It sounds like you had no place to live or any money when you returned here. What did you do?” 

Atem shot Yugi another smile, squeezing his hand. “I went to Yugi first at his grandfather’s game store to tell him I was back. And without hesitation, he told his mother and grandfather I was moving in and living with them.” That drew a shocked look from the interviewer. “After everything settled, though, he and I moved into our own apartment. That was about… seven months ago. I’ve almost been been back a year now.” 

“So then; dating? How’d that come about? How long have you two been together?” 

“Less than a month. It took us awhile to finally confess.” A smirk and a tilt of the head from the interviewer had Yugi grimacing. “Me. I was the one who confessed first. It was just a regular night, too. I just… couldn’t stand it anymore. I was so head-over-heels for him and it was killing me to keep staying silent. So I broke and tentatively tried to test the waters.” 

“How?” she cut in and asked with an eager grin.

“I cupped his cheek and when he nuzzled my hand, I thought I might have a bit of a chance. I was also halfway on his lap and we were kinda snuggling under a blanket. In retrospect, it seems pretty obvious that we were into each other, but at the time, I was terrified of ruining our relationship.” He shrugged sheepishly. “I told him I thought I was in love with him and then when he froze up, I thought I ruined everything and tried to backtrack, but it worked out. He told me he loved me and now we’re… well, here.” 

“So, tell me about that kiss after the big match. You seemed pretty excited he won.” 

Yugi chuckled and glanced at Atem, beaming. “I was just so… proud of him. To see him win and be so  _ alive _ in the moment… I was just so happy. I didn’t think. I just wanted to show him how much I love him.” Atem melted into his side, grinning up at him. 

The interview continued in much of the same fashion. Questions about their future and their plans for tournaments. Who they thought was going to win if the two of them faced off in the world championship match—both said themselves until Atem finally grinned and said probably Yugi would. 

By the end, though, Yugi had a feeling they had done pretty well. Mokuba slapped him on the back and grinned as they were walking out of the interview. “Almost 1 million views. You guys killed it.” 

The words were proved to be true when Kaiba called Yugi back up to his office the next morning. Once more, he said nothing (though, Yugi noted with relief, he wasn’t glaring today) and slid his tablet across the desk. 

Yugi picked it up to read and saw a picture of him and Atem snuggling on the interview couch, smiling lovingly at each other. The headline read: “ **A Match Made in Heaven? The Hidden Love Story Between the King of Games and his Pharaoh** ” and underneath it, a quick subtitle, “ _ How the kiss that sealed Atem’s stunning victory in his grand match against Kaiba turned into the touching love story between the King of Games and the newly crowned national champion. In a record-breaking livestream by KaibaCorp, Yugi Mutou and Atem Sennen sat down and revealed their loving relationship and how nothing could keep them apart.” _

“Everyone is talking about the interview.” There was a ghost of a smile on Kaiba’s lips. “It’s gotten all the rumors to stop and nothing but people gushing about you two, the stream, and,” he did grin this time, “KaibaCorp. Good job, Mutou.” 

Yugi smiled brightly. Shit, it was worth all the stress if he actually got a “good job” from Kaiba. All of this just because Yugi couldn’t keep himself from kissing Atem senseless after a well-deserved victory. 

He realized he wouldn’t change a damn thing. Not only because it ended up getting great press for them and KaibaCorp, or that it caused a record-breaking livestream, or even because Kaiba told him good job. No, he’d never regret kissing Atem. 

Because Atem was here and alive and Yugi would take every opportunity to kiss him and show him how much that meant. And he’d never regret that.  __

_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what I'm doing anymore x.x I'm still consistently working like a day behind the prompt list.
> 
> ...This chapter seems really short, too. Blargh, I'm sorry. Hopefully Heinous will be longer.


	12. Heinous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Atem and Yugi are shocked when three children show up at KaibaCorp claiming to be Yugi's siblings. After talking to them, they're appalled to find out what horrible secrets his father has been keeping: an entire other family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you believe we're at the halfway point in these prompts? I sure can't. Anyways, Atem and Yugi are married in this chapter.

##  12: Heinous

“Please, I just need to talk to him. It’s really important. Please.” 

“I’m sorry, ma’am. But Mr. Mutou is in a meeting. You can leave your name and number and your reason for your visit and I can get an appointment scheduled.” 

Atem slowed his walk, his ears perking as he heard Yugi’s name mentioned. Joey paused mid-sentence, having noticed Atem’s distraction. “What?” he asked, giving a dismissive wave to the teen girl and the two children standing beside her. “Curious about some of Yugi’s fans trying to stalk him again?” 

“Please, sir, please,” the teenager was practically begging and looking unusually distressed for a fan. “I have something very important to talk to him about and I'm not going to be in Japan long. This is the only chance I have. It’s about his father.” 

The security guard manning the front desk sighed. “Ma’am, even if Mr. Mutou was available, I couldn’t let you go see him. It’s a safety hazard.” Atem appreciated the guard not wanting to break the rules. Of course, there had been more than one fan make it up to a meeting with them on false pretenses before; it was why the rule had been put in place by Kaiba in the first place. 

The girl gave a frustrated sigh. “Can we wait here then? In the lobby? And when he gets back, can you maybe call him and ask if we can speak to him? Please, tell him… tell him it’s about his father. About… about  _ our _ father.” 

And Atem stopped his slow walk to the elevators, whirling around and heading directly back over to the girl. Joey followed behind him, not even questioning. After all, Yugi didn't have any siblings. 

“Excuse me,” he began, tapping the girl on the shoulder. “You are?” 

“Oh, Mr. Sennen! Er, Mutou, now, I guess… Sorry,” the guard bowed apologetically, which just made Atem smile. He’d been married to Yugi for months now and people still had a tough time adjusting to using his new last name. “How was your lunch?” 

“It was fine, thank you,” he responded cordially. He tried to treat all the KaibaCorp employees nicely, except maybe Kaiba. “Now, I heard you were looking for my husband?” he asked, redirecting his focus to the girl in front of him. 

Now that he could really see her, he hated to admit that she had a striking resemblance to Yugi. Her hair was all black and soft, but that was about the only difference. Her eyes were rich violet, big and bright, framed by large eyelashes. Her nose tiny and cute, while her cheeks were round and lively. 

It was like looking at a strange, distorted female version of his husband. It made Atem feel off-kilter. 

“Yes, I—well, we, I mean—we’re umm, we’re hoping to talk to him about our—his—our d-dad.” She was tripping over her words nervously. Her body language radiated anxiety. “This is my, well, umm,  _ our _ , little siblings. This is Jiyu and this is Yunqi.” Atem glanced down and sucked in air. He hadn’t really looked at the two children before. Behind him, he heard Joey mutter something that sounded suspiciously like, “Holy fuck.” 

He was looking at two miniature Yugis. The girl looked to be about twelve, with black-purple hair and blonde bangs. Her hair was wavy, much like Yugi’s bangs. Her face looked like someone had copied and pasted a much younger Yugi’s face onto her body. The only difference was that her eyes were dark brown like chocolate.

Then the boy… Oh man. It was like someone had copied and pasted Yugi, but shrunk him down to kid size. The boy appeared the be the youngest, maybe four or five? He had Yugi’s wild spikes, purple tips and black roots. His blonde bangs were wild, resembling more of Atem’s crazy spikes rather than Yugi’s soft waves. His eyes were intensely bright purple.

“And I’m Youxi.” 

“Your—” Atem had to clear his throat, his voice having become so scratchy at the shock, “Your names are Mandarin.” She nodded. 

“Our mother is from the mainland. We live in Hong Kong, though.” Atem tilted his head, something about her name striking him. He didn’t speak Mandarin—knowing three languages fluently was enough for him,  _ thank you very much _ , even if he never really spoke Ancient Egyptian that much anymore—but there were some words that he knew in a multitude of languages. Pet names for Yugi, for example. Or ways to say “I love you,” which, again, was for Yugi.

But, for his other love in life, he knew certain words for games and gaming culture. And Youxi’s name was… 

“Your name is… it means ‘game’, right?” Atem asked. Joey snorted, shaking his head in disbelief. 

Youxi blushed and groaned. “Yes.” 

“Just like Yugi,” Joey grinned. “What do their names mean?” He gestured to the other two children. 

“Luck. Yunqi means luck and Jiyu means luck, or fate, or opportunities.” Atem pretended to cough into his hand to muffle his laughter. Wow. There was definitely a theme there. And this whole time, Atem had always thought Grandpa named Yugi. Maybe there actually was some influence from his father in Yugi’s life. Naming two of his kids “luck” and the other two “game”? Apparently, Yugi’s father liked the gaming world, too.

The reminder of Yugi’s father sobered his mood. He nodded at the security guard. “I’ll take responsibility for these three. Go ahead and log them as guests.” 

“Oh, um, of course, Mr. Sennen! Er, Mutou!” As the security guard typed out some forms and handed badges to the three kids, Atem pulled Joey to the side. He was glad to see Joey’s eyes reflecting the same anger he felt. 

Yugi’s dad was a… a disgusting scumbag. Atem wasn’t sure what the full story was but this was… this was  _ awful _ . “I’m going to get Yugi. Will you take them up to his office to wait for us? And then once we’re back, will you let Mokuba and Kaiba know what is going on? I have a feeling we’re going to be leaving work early today.” Joey nodded and Atem slipped away to go find his husband. 

He wasn’t really sure how Yugi was going to react to the revelation that he had three siblings. Half siblings. Yugi’s relationship with his father was nonexistent, of course. He was pretty sure the last time they had spoken was… over a year ago. When Yugi had publicly announced their engagement. His father had called for the first time in years.

Only to threaten to disown him for marrying another male. Yugi hadn’t let his father shake him, though. He had crisply replied that the Mutou name stemmed from his grandfather, who would never disown him and accepted both his and Atem’s relationship. And then Yugi had calmly wished his father well but curtly informed him that he would no longer be a part of his life or welcomed into it. 

It was only after he had hung up the phone that he had fallen apart in Atem’s arms. Even though he hadn’t seen his father for years, since before high school, the sting of being rejected from someone that was supposed to be his flesh and blood hurt deep inside him. Atem knew Yugi had always strived to impress his father, almost always falling short. He was never smart enough, never got good enough grades, never was normal enough… And then for him to come out as gay and to actually marry another man? That was the tipping point. 

He found Yugi in the main conference room. Kaiba and Yugi were inside, seemingly handling discussions with the KaibaCorp shareholders. He watched outside the window for a few minutes, just enjoying watching Yugi. He was so confident now. He handled the difficult inquiries easily, deflecting their criticism with grace. 

It was no wonder Kaiba was turning Yugi into one of his business partners. While Mokuba would always be Kaiba’s right-hand man, Yugi was definitely being groomed to stand right along with them. Except for Mokuba, there was no one Kaiba trusted as much as Yugi. And Atem loved that. He loved that someone as difficult and critical as Kaiba recognized Yugi’s talents and wanted to use them. Yugi deserved his position. 

He finally shook of his internal praise monologue of his husband to knock on the door. He didn’t wait for Kaiba to tell him to enter, though, just pushing it open and glancing at Kaiba, before staring at Yugi. His husband frowned seeing him, not because he was unhappy that Atem was there, but because he was concerned as to  _ why _ Atem was there. He knew that Atem wouldn’t come interrupt unless it was important. 

“Mr. Sennen, what is the meaning of this? We are in an important meeting!” 

“It’s Mutou,” Atem corrected, his eyes flickering towards the obnoxious shareholders before dismissing their presence with his body language. “Kaiba, I apologize for the interruption.” 

“It better be important, Pharaoh,” Kaiba’s sneer had a touch of curiosity in it. His words even lacked their usual venom; clearly Kaiba also knew Atem would never interrupt a meeting for no good reason. 

Atem nodded before turning back to Yugi. “It is. Yugi, there are some people here you need to speak to. It’s about your father.” Both his eyebrows shot up before lowering with a frown. 

“Is he here?” he asked flatly. “Because,” Atem could tell Yugi wanted to say,  _ “Because he’s not important enough for me to stop this meeting,” _ but finally opted to go with, “if so, you can escort him to my office and we’ll discuss whatever he needs after I’m finished.” 

“It’s not. It’s your siblings.” That made Kaiba even lose his stoic composure for a few seconds. His eyes widened and he turned towards Yugi in shock, mouthing a “What?” 

Yugi, on the other hand, processed Atem’s words and his face went carefully blank. “...I see. I understand. I’ll be there shortly.” He nodded his head, dismissing Atem from the room. But Atem could read Yugi like an open book and knew his look was a facade. Atem slipped out of the room, leaning against the wall, waiting. 

It didn’t take long for Yugi to exit the room. As soon as he saw Atem, his smooth face crumpled in horror. He fell into Atem’s open arms, shuddering. “What is going on?” he asked, his voice muffled by Atem’s shoulder and shirt. Atem stroked his back. 

“I don’t know, Yugi. But there is no doubt. It was like looking at three copies of you.” 

_ “Three?” _ He pulled away from Atem, swallowing hard. “I have  _ three _ siblings?” He nodded and broke from their hug, opting to hold Yugi’s hand and lead him towards his office. “This is insane. I don’t know what to do.” 

“Just listen. I’ll be there with you the entire time, okay? We’ll get through this.” He took another shuddering breath and nodded. They were at Yugi’s office far too soon for his husband, who hesitated before finally pushing the door open. 

Joey was trying to make conversation with Yugi’s siblings but it felt stilted and uncomfortable. He stood up when Yugi and Atem walked in, saying a brief farewell to the kids, and walking out with a worried glance at Yugi. He squeezed his best friend’s shoulder as he passed.

Yugi forced a smile at his siblings, nodding in greeting, before taking a seat behind his desk. Atem perched himself on the corner, close enough to Yugi that they could hold hands. 

“Atem tells me that you’re my—” Yugi hesitated for a few seconds before finally saying, “my siblings. I was hoping… you can explain?” He paused, blinking a few times before shaking his head. “No, wait, I’m sorry. I haven’t even introduced myself or asked your names or anything. So, umm, let’s start there first.” He smiled again but it didn’t meet his eyes. “Hi. My name is Yugi Mutou and I’m twenty-four. I, um, as you can see, work for KaibaCorp as a game designer and spokesperson. And this is Atem, my husband. We’ve been married for seven months now. He’s also twenty-four and works here, with me. He’s another spokesperson and a game tester here.” 

“Hello,” Atem greeted smoothly, leaning a little more into Yugi. His side pressed into Yugi’s shoulder and the contact seemed to help ease some of Yugi’s tension. 

Youxi gave a weak smile in response. “My name is Youxi. I’m sixteen and I was born in Shanghai, but I currently live in Hong Kong. I’m a student.” She swallowed before gesturing to the other girl in the room. “Yunqi, introduce yourself.” The girl looked up blankly at her sister and Youxi sighed, repeating the command in Mandarin. 

“My name is Yunqi. My age is twelve years. I am… I…” she fumbled, struggling for the Japanese word. She turned to her sister, speaking rapidly in Mandarin. 

“She is a student, too.” Youxi nudged her little brother and spoke, but Atem noticed the words weren’t quite… right. It wasn’t Mandarin she was speaking anymore but Cantonese. Her brother nodded, grinning widely. He pointed to himself. 

“I’m Jiyu!” That seemed to be the extent of his Japanese as he immediately began to talk in Cantonese. Youxi frowned and held out a hand to stop him. They conversed briefly before Jiyu fell silent, pouting. 

“My apologies. Jiyu is five. He was born in Hong Kong and has grown up with us primarily speaking Cantonese, so his Mandarin is still a work in progress. And neither Jiyu or Yunqi really speak Japanese. Our father stopped communicating to us in it by time Yunqi was three, so she never learned it like I did.” 

Ah, so that explained her mastery over the three languages. She had grown up learning Mandarin and Japanese and was forced to learn Cantonese when they moved to Hong Kong. 

“We’re here because we wanted to meet you. We… we never knew we had a brother until about, well, a year ago. Everything… everything fell apart when you announced your engagement.” Yugi rose and eyebrow, his shoulders stiffening. “We, um, we never knew about you or that our father had a… had a whole other life still in Japan.” 

Yugi swallowed hard. “I didn’t know he had a whole other life in China, either,” he said quietly. “What happened when I announced my engagement?” 

“He called you. And I overheard the phone conversation and pieced everything together after that.” Once she got that part out, it was like the floodgates opened and Youxi began to explain the full story from the very beginning. Atem and Yugi silently listened.

Yugi’s father had gone to mainland China twenty years ago for his job. At the time, Yugi was still a toddler. His father met his siblings’ mother about five years after he had been in China. They got married, or at least, Youxi was under the impression that they were married. Her mother and father had them, moving around quite a bit for their father’s job. 

Then Yugi had gotten famous. All of them had heard of him growing up; Youxi had even been a fan of Duel Monsters and wanted to one day enter a tournament with the hopes she could meet him. She finally understood now why their dad hated that dream for her and always discouraged her from it. He was always so angry whenever she expressed any interest in the tournaments, and definitely when she wanted to meet Yugi. 

It was when Yugi’s engagement was announced that they noticed their father become extremely agitated. When Youxi caught him arguing and practically yelling on the phone in rapid Japanese, she confronted him and finally pulled the truth out of him. They found out that he had a grown son in Japan, along with a wife that he had technically been married to for over twenty-five years. He hadn’t seen her or his father or son for ten years, though. 

While Youxi had always thought it was just coincidence that she shared the same last name as the King of Games, she was excited and terrified to learn that he was actually her older brother. 

“I learned everything I could about you. And then I told my mother I wanted to meet you and talk to you and she agreed. She actually sent me here, but she wanted me to bring our other two siblings, so you could meet all of us.”

Yugi bit his lip, processing everything his sister had said. “And your mother? Does she know that our father is still married to my mother here?” 

“...I’m not sure. She hasn’t left our father, though, if that's what you mean. They are... working through it.” Yugi took a deep breath, nodding. He glanced at Atem, seemingly needing the strength. Atem squeezed his hand.

Honestly, Atem was absolutely horrified. He had always thought Yugi’s father was a piece of shit. He had, thankfully, never met the man and never planned to, but still... To learn all of this about the man—that he had been living a double life for twenty years. It was such a heinous thing to do to his wife, his son, his own  _ father _ who lived with his wife. He could only imagine how Yugi's mother was going to react. 

Atem didn’t have a perfect father by any means. In modern day terms, he had a pretty screwed up family life, really. His father had five wives. One was a half-sister and another was a niece. Definitely not something Atem was okay with now; he was really glad all his siblings had died before he got to a marriageable age. The idea of marrying someone in his own family made his stomach curl in disgust. 

Anyways, his father wasn’t the greatest person. Atem knew that and accepted it. He still loved his father but there had been a lot of faults. Bakura’s village, the Millennium Item, the wars… there had been a lot. Now that Atem was older, he knew that his father had done bad things. 

But at least his father  _ tried _ to be a good father. He had tried to pay attention to all six of his children before all of them, excluding Atem, died. Atem had no doubt his father loved them all. 

Yugi’s dad? Atem didn’t think the man loved anyone except himself. How could he have lied about his life in Japan for so many years, had done this to his wife—to both of his wives? To his children? How despicable could a person be? 

Atem slipped off the desk, moving onto Yugi’s lap. His husband was so tense—understandably so, of course. “Hey,” he whispered. “We’ll figure it out.” Yugi nodded, sighing, and then shifting slightly to make sure he faced his siblings. 

“I’ll have to talk to my mother. It’s… hard to hear this. Not so much for me,” he admitted to his siblings. “The conversation you overheard, Youxi, how much did you understand?” 

“Not… everything. He was angry about you marrying another man, though.” 

“He was going to disown me if I married Atem. I told him I didn’t care. He… To be honest, I’ve spoken to our father… three times in the past six years. He called after I graduated high school, and then when I graduated college. And then this last time. I don’t even remember what he looks like.” He shook his head. “I don’t want to unload this on you. He’s your father but I just want to be… honest, I suppose. It’s not your fault what he’s done.”

Youxi chewed on the inside of her cheek before finally asking, “Can we still… talk to each other? I would… I would really like to get to know you. We all would.” 

For the first time since he had entered the room. Yugi gave a genuine smile, soft and gentle. “Of course. I would definitely love to get to know you. Atem and I both would, right, love?” 

“Absolutely,” Atem responded with a smile. 

“How long will you be in Japan?” 

“Only for a few more days. We’ll be returning to Hong Kong on Monday.” 

Yugi nodded, thinking. “So, only the weekend. Well… I’ll try to give you a tour of Domino and KaibaCorp. You also need to meet Grandpa. I think he’ll love you all. We can go to the arcade, too. I think we’ll have fun.” He tapped Atem’s thigh so he could stand. Atem slid off of him, and Yugi headed around the desk. He escorted his siblings out of the office, all of them heading down to KaibaCorp’s entrance. 

They exchanged phone information and Yugi found out what hotel they were staying in so he could pick them up later. Then, before they left, the children threw their arms around Yugi. Even Youxi hugged him, tearfully thanking him for accepting them. Yugi returned the hug, murmuring a soft, “Of course I would.” 

The three left after a few more farewells and even an impulsive hug to Atem, much to his shock. 

When his siblings were out of sight, Yugi sagged, falling against Atem. They didn’t talk the entire way back up to Yugi’s office. Once there, Yugi sat on the floor, in front of the couch in his office. Atem sat behind him, wrapping his arms around him for comfort.

“How are you feeling?” he asked. 

“Not good. I don’t know how I’m going to break it to my mother that her husband of twenty-five years has been married and has three children with another woman in another country. I’m not looking forward to this.” Atem kissed his temple. “I just don’t understand how someone could be so awful. How could he do that to the woman—both women—he supposedly loved? To his children? It’s just... “

“Disgusting,” Atem finished. Yugi nodded. “I can’t understand it either.” 

“If we ever have children, I won’t ever be like my father. I’ll love them and they’ll know how much I love their father, too.” Atem smiled, nuzzling Yugi’s neck. 

“You would be an excellent father. I have no doubt.” Yugi paused, glancing up at Atem. 

“I’ve never really asked. Do you want children?” 

Atem took the time to think about it seriously. Finally, he said, “In the future, I think I’d very much like to have children with you. But right now? No.” 

“Me too.” He grew quiet, staring off towards the wall. “I want to do good by my siblings. They can’t help what our father has done. To all of us. But I want to be better than him. Show him that I’ll love his other children, even after everything he’s done to me. I’ll be better than him. To my siblings and to my own children, whenever that may happen.”

“Oh, babe,” Atem began, kissing him briefly. Against his lips, he whispered, “You already are. You are so much better than your father. You could never do the awful, heinous things he’s done. No, he doesn’t have a heart at all, but you, my love… You have a heart of gold.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Yugi's siblings names are all Mandarin words but I didn't feel like adding tonal markings. Sorry. They're a pain. But to break down the names because I spent a stupidly long time picking them out (Chinese was my minor so I'm just overly fond of finding any excuse possible to find a way to incorporate it into a story):  
> Youxi - Pinyin: yóuxì (you2xi4), Characters: 游戏 Just like Yugi, her name literally means game or to play.  
> Yunqi - Pinyin: yùnqi (yun4qi), Characters: 运气 It just means luck. It seemed fitting with the whole game theme. Also, it starts with a "Yu".  
> Jiyu - Pinyin: jìyù (ji4yu4) Characters: 际遇 This means luck, fate, or opportunity. Picked since it ends with a "Yu".
> 
> I'm so freaking tired. I'm going to bed now.


	13. Whimsical

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Atem's two-year anniversary for being alive. For their date night, Yugi wants to do something special and decides to take him to Kaiba Land.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit, I'm behind. This prompt has been one of the most difficult for me to figure out what to do.
> 
> Anyways, Yugi and Atem are dating in this chapter. Also, chapter warning! Sexual content ahead. Pretty explicit, I guess?

## 13: Whimsical

It was Yugi’s turn to pick their date night. For most of the week, he had no idea what he was going to do, either. Normally, it wasn’t a big deal. He could just opt to take Atem out to dinner or to a movie, or even just stay at home and order pizza and cuddle while playing games. All those were perfectly acceptable date nights for both of them.

But this week fell on Atem’s 2nd year anniversary for being back to life and Yugi wanted to make it special. He wanted to show how much it meant to him that Atem gave up being in the afterlife with his friends and family to come back to him. He wanted to show Atem that he appreciated it, that he loved him, and that he hoped it was worth it.

Except… he had no good date idea. He wanted something fun, different, but romantic, too.

Thankfully, inspiration came on Friday afternoon in the form of one Joey Wheeler.

“Can you believe Serenity _bought_ tickets to go to Kaiba Land? I mean, like, it’s not like her brother works as one of the top game testers in the freaking company and could get her tickets for free!” He had rolled his eyes, angrily jabbing his fries in the ketchup before shoving them in his mouth. “Like, I just can’t believe she wouldn’t ask me. Those tickets can get pricey if you get the Ultimate passes.”

Joey had paused, his face scrunching when he took in Yugi’s wide-eyed look. “What? You need some tickets, too?” 

Yugi slowly grinned. “Yes, actually. Also, you’re the best, Joey. I know where I’m taking Atem tonight.” Joey had raised an eyebrow.

“You’re gonna take him to Kaiba Land for date night?”

“Yup!”

Date night had been a thing they implemented shortly after they got together. It was a way for them to make sure they had at least one day a week—or sometimes, every two weeks, if their schedules didn’t allow for weekly meetings—where they spent time together. Life had a tendency to drag both of them every which way, so the dates were a nice way to reconnect and check in on their relationship to make sure everything was going smoothly.

Last week, Atem had planned a beautiful Saturday date that Yugi was still reeling from. He had taken Yugi out to breakfast, they had a wonderful walk in the park before exploring the different shops and arcades in Domino, then Atem took him to lunch at his favorite burger place, and they finally wrapped it up with a movie and a romantic candlelight dinner at a fancy place Atem had put reservations in over a month ago. It was a date that lasted the entire day.

Yugi really had no way to compete with that. As it was, Atem was more of the planner between the two of them when it came to dates, while Yugi normally did everything on a whim. He liked to improvise to see how Atem felt the day of and plan accordingly. Sometimes, he or Atem had a rough week and didn’t want to leave the house—perfect, their dates were cuddles on the couch and movies. Other times, Atem was in a playful mood and wanted to compete and play something—that meant arcade or video game night. And sometimes, Yugi could see Atem feeling down and would spoil him rotten to make him feel loved—long moonlit strolls on the beach, lots and lots of kisses, sensual massages, romantic dinners, anything and everything he could do to show Atem how much he loved him.

Now, sometimes Yugi would go all out and plan everything down to the T—Valentine’s Day had been an example of that. Yugi had left work early to make sure everything was arranged before Atem had gotten home. He turned off all the lights in the apartment, lining every room with a multitude of candles. That way, it was still bright enough so Atem wouldn’t be scared of the dark, but romantic with a candlelight glow. He had scattered rose petals (Atem was a sap for cheesy romantic gestures like that, much to Yugi's delight) that led to their bathroom. There, he had everything ready for a hot bath for them to share—bath oils, salts, bubbles, dim lights, more candles, wine glasses and even chocolate covered strawberries. After the bath was to be their bedroom where Yugi intended to give Atem the massage of his _life_ along with some other fun activities they could perform in bed.

It had worked like a charm and Atem had been blown away. He could hardly move the next day. Yugi called that a job well done.

Still, Yugi tried not to plan things out that extravagantly too often. Not that he didn’t love spoiling his boyfriend and would gleefully do it anytime, anywhere, but more because he knew it would get overwhelming for Atem and would turn from being a good thing to something that made Atem feel guilty. That wasn’t what Yugi wanted so he tried to keep most of his date plans more whimsical and easy. Enough to show Atem he was clearly thinking about him and his needs, but not so intense that Atem felt bad for enjoying them.

It was why Kaiba Land sounded perfect. Nothing he had to plan for, really, but with the perfect amount of attractions that would keep both of them entertained for hours: games to play and prizes to win, roller coasters and other rides to ride, delightfully fried and unhealthy food for them to indulge in, and many romantic spots to kiss Atem senseless when he pleased.

Before he left work that day, he popped into Kaiba’s office, asking for two Ultimate passes for Kaiba Land. Kaiba had raised an eyebrow. “You’re a top developer. You get Chaos MAX passes for free. Go to the front desk ask for them. You give them your ID card and they’ll get the passes for you.” He rolled his eyes. “And don’t bother asking me what the Chaos MAX passes do. You should know as one of our spokesmen and if you don’t, then find it out.”

Yugi did not know the difference. That was admittedly very bad since Kaiba was right; he was a spokesperson for the company. Yikes.

A quick search, though, revealed the tiers. Of course, Yugi thought with a roll of his eyes, they were all based on Blue Eyes White Dragon forms. Basic got someone in the park where they could ride the rides for free, but all games and food were still charged (and parking, too). Ultimate passes were barely above the lowest tier—so what the hell was Joey on about getting free Ultimate passes when they could easily upgrade to a much higher tier as KaibaCorp employees?—but they got discounts on all games and food, and free parking. Ultimate passes could also be reused up to five times per year.

Neo tier got so many free games and food vouchers per visit, as well as unlimited free drinks in a KaibaCorp souvenir cup. It also only needed to be renewed yearly but unlimited visits to any park in Domino City per year. Chaos tier was the highest ticket available to people to purchase (for a very steep price) and what most KaibaCorp employees received. They got all the same perks as Neo, but expanded so that they could skip all lines to rides and the pass was available to use at any Kaiba Land in the world.

Then there was the Chaos MAX passes and holy shit, Yugi knew he and Atem were going to have a blast. It was only available to the top KaibaCorp employees or anyone Kaiba deemed worthy to give the passes to. Everything was free in the park (besides merchandise shops), they could skip all lines, and they could ride a ride multiple times without ever having to get off. Obviously, it could be used at any Kaiba Land in the world. It also included a free stay at the Kaiba Land Hotel within the park. Geez, Kaiba was certainly generous with what was included in the passes.

And for once, Yugi intended to exploit that generosity as much as possible in order to give Atem one of the best dates of his life. To his knowledge, after all, he was pretty sure Atem had never gone to an amusement park to actually have fun. When they first went to Kaiba Land back as freshmen in high school, they were ambushed by the whole Death-T thing and that had scarred both of them pretty badly for a few years.

They had gone to the Kaiba Land in America for the Kaiba Grand Prix tournament but they hadn’t really had any time to enjoy the attractions. Then, even once Atem came back to life, their trips to Kaiba Land were for company business and promotions. But actually going there for fun? Yugi was pretty sure they hadn’t ever done that.

And it was a shame because Kaiba had expanded Kaiba Land into a monstrosity of fun and entertainment over the years. The last time Yugi had gone to the main park in Domino City had been a few months ago for a promotional shoot and shit, the park was about five times the size it had been when it had first opened.

For one, Kaiba had combined the indoor park skyscraper with the outdoor park amusement ride portions. He had added more rides, as well as booths with games to win prizes. He had his KaibaCorp Dome within the park now, too, and had a building for practice tournaments and games just for Duel Monsters to be played. Then there was one of the largest arcades known to man inside the indoor Kaiba Land, spanning something like seven floors. Other floors were turned into stores providing Duel Monster cards, KaibaCorp products, Dungeon Dice Monsters, and several other games.

Yugi could hardly wait to take Atem through it. He was going to make sure their date was perfect.

* * *

“So, where are we going? You’ve been elusive all night,” Atem teased, leaning his head against Yugi’s shoulder.

“I thought we would have a night of fun. We’ve never come here for anything other than work so it was time to enjoy our KaibaCorp perks. Besides, I thought this would be an excellent way to replace some of our more sour memories with some good ones.” Yugi pointed up to the Kaiba Land sign, the entire amusement park brightly lit up in the darkening skies. Atem blinked before a slow smile spread over his face.

“Okay,” he said, “I’m game. I’ve never really been to an amusement park before. Take me on a magical journey, Yugi.” His tone was flirtatious and Yugi suddenly made an additional goal to his plans. He had planned on taking Atem on the Ferris Wheel to finish up their night, making sure to kiss him at the very top.

Now, not only was he going to do that, but he was most assuredly going to suck his dick through the whole ride. He’d give him a magical journey, all right.

“Let’s go have some fun! C’mon!” Yugi tugged his hand and the two ran into the park like eager children. It was pretty filled with people this Friday evening but with their passes, it didn’t matter much. They were able to slip in and out of lines, trying to enjoy every part of the park.

They spent the first few hours riding all the roller coasters and thrill rides. Atem whooped and laughed along with Yugi, thoroughly enjoying the whoosh of air in his hair and the way his stomach dropped every time they went soaring down the hills just like Yugi did. “It’s like we really are on a Blue Eyes White Dragon!” Atem had yelled at one point on the aptly titled The Soaring Blue Eyes as they plummeted down the tracks. Yugi agreed, though he was admittedly distracted at how bright Atem’s eyes were shining and the gleeful expression on his face.

He was having so much fun. Yugi felt his heart soar, gripping his partner’s hand for the rest of the ride.

Afterwards, they were walking down one of the main streets of the park when Atem pointed towards one of the booths. Duel Monster dolls hung from the roof, dangling like precious jewels. “Let’s play some of these games! To be a proper date, I should win you one of the prizes, right?” Atem asked him, pulling him to the stand.

“That is what a good boyfriend would do,” Yugi agreed with a smile. “But just don’t win too many. Kaiba will definitely ban us if we clean out his game stands.” That made a more devious smirk come to Atem’s face as his eyes got his normal determination flare in them.

They went to the first booth—a ring toss. If he got seven or more rings on the bottles, he’d be able to pick one of the hanging dolls.

Yugi wasn’t that surprised when Atem landed every ring out the ten given except one. He had a lot of incredible skills that he had learned from being a pharaoh—apparently, a lot of these carnival games were rather similar to basic games they entertained themselves with in ancient times.

“Which one do you want, my love?” Atem asked, his eyes sparkling. Yugi smiled softly and pointed to the Watapon plush. “One Watapon doll, please!”

And for the next hour, Atem and Yugi played the games at the booths. Mostly Atem played because he seemed to enjoy them far more than Yugi, but occasionally Yugi would play a game to win Atem a prize, too. Atem was so skilled, though. Darts at balloons, throwing ping-pong balls into little cups of water, knocking down bottles with baseballs, shooting basketballs… All of it, he was so good at. By the time they had hit nearly every game booth, Yugi was carrying a bag full of Duel Monster dolls.

They took a break to eat dinner—burgers and fries—then headed to explore some of the shops in the indoor half of Kaiba Land. After buying some new Duel Monster cards, the two returned to playing their games.

This time, they went to the arcade, at first competing against each other, but then stopped upon seeing the score boards. They gleefully decided it would be far better to team up to beat all of Kaiba’s high scores throughout the arcade. KAI was quickly replaced with Y&A, just to make sure Kaiba knew it was _both_ of them who took the pleasure of kicking their boss’s ass. They walked out of the arcade with a giant Kuriboh doll as a reward for all their multitude of tickets, along with a few other plush dolls and Duel Monster figurines they stuffed into their bulging bag.

“Ooh, let’s get cotton candy! Have you had it before?” Atem shook his head. Yugi ran ahead, getting one Marshmallon cotton candy for them to share. When he brought it back, Atem was looking at him with adoring open affection.

“What’s up?” Yugi asked, taking a small bite of the Marshmallon fluff.

“I just love you so much. Thank you for this. All of it.” Yugi smiled and leaned forward, kissing Atem briefly. As he pulled away, his partner licked his lips, grinning. “Cotton candy does taste good!”

Yugi laughed and handed him the stick, letting Atem take a bite while he scanned around for the next thing to do. “It’s getting pretty late; I think the park closes at 1:00, so we have less than an hour left. Wow, I can’t believe we’ve spent six hours here already!” The time was really flying by but Yugi had had a blast. He hoped Atem had, too.

“Well, partner,” and without warning, Atem scooped Yugi up, settling him on his back for a piggy-back ride, “lead the way to what's next.” Yugi laughed, looking around for a few attractions to see. They examined a Dark Magician's tent, peered at a Blue Eyes White Dragon fountain, and laughed at the Kaiba statue that had a speaker inside his mouth to make park announcements from. As the time trickled away, though, Yugi looked around on Atem's shoulders for his final spot. He shot his hand out and pointed at it.

“To the Ferris Wheel! That’ll be the perfect way to end the night.” Atem agreed and walked towards the giant wheel in the center of the park. There weren’t many people on the ride; Yugi and Atem got in their closed seat, noting that there was no one sitting above them or below them.

“It’ll be about a 30 minute ride, Mr. Mutou, Mr. Sennen.” Yugi flashed a brilliant smile at the park employee.

“That’s perfect. Thank you.” Yugi let the man close the half-gate behind them, sealing them into the car.

It was quiet as they rose slowly into the air. Atem was watching the scenery with fascination, having never rode a Ferris Wheel before. Yugi let him take it all in while he watched his boyfriend. Atem was simply stunning in the moonlight. His ruby eyes glittered in the night sky, while the light breeze played with his golden bangs. He was so perfect. Yugi, once more, thanked his lucky stars that he was fortunate enough to have Atem at his side. He would never take him for granted. 

Atem must have felt him staring. “What’s up, partner?”

“I just love you,” Yugi responded, loving how Atem's eyes softened at his words.

“As I love you. Thank you for taking me here tonight.” His voice lowered and Atem slid across the bench to press up against Yugi. “You are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.”

Yugi felt his heart skip a beat. "As you are to me." He pressed his forehead against Atem’s. “Before I get to the next thing I wanted to do, I wanted to ask. Do you know what today is?” Atem blinked, looking blank. He finally shook his head. “It’s a day that’s forever engraved in my mind. Two years ago, you fell out of the sky back into my arms. I wanted to try and show you as much as I could how much I appreciate that sacrifice you made—everything you gave up to be back here with me. I don’t take it lightly, Atem, and I thank every god there is that you’re here with me. That we got this chance to be together again.” He gently pressed his lips against Atem’s. “I love you.”

They kissed tenderly and sweetly for several long minutes until Yugi pulled away. Atem’s expression was glazed and his cheeks were flushed. Perfect. “Babe, will you let me do something?”

“Of course,” Atem responded automatically. His trust was astounding and Yugi hoped he’d never take advantage of it.

“Spread your legs for me?” Atem’s face darkened and he glanced around them. They were fully in the air now, about mid-way to the top of the wheel.

“Here?” Atem’s voice had a breathless quality to it. Yugi grinned and nodded.

“I want to show you how much I love you. And you did say to send you on a magical journey. Nothing seems more magical than putting you on Cloud Nine while you’re literally in the clouds—or as close to them as we can be.” Atem swallowed hard, his pupils large, but still parted his legs.

Yugi didn’t waste time. He unzipped Atem’s pants, pulling his cock out. It wasn’t hard, but it was getting there. No matter. Yugi gave a few teasing licks, running his tongue up and down the sides of Atem’s dick. His fingers grazed Atem’s hipbones and danced across his thighs, making Atem shiver.

He lavished Atem’s cock with his tongue, worshiping it. His boyfriend was quickly coming apart at the seams, his body jerking and his fingers gripping Yugi’s hair as he moaned desperately. Yugi continued to lick, taking his time and tasting every inch of Atem. He pressed the flat of his tongue against the base of Atem’s shaft, getting a loud groan from him, before he dragged it upwards until he engulfed his tip again and gave a careful suck. Atem thrusted instinctively, his cock pushing against the back of Yugi’s throat.

Yugi gagged a little as he didn’t expect the sudden motion, and pulled back some, but didn’t let him go. He continued to bob his head and take Atem in until he finally had to break apart for some air. Atem was staring up at the ceiling of their car, his chest heaving. “Atem,” Yugi called. Atem glanced down, sucking in air at the sight of him between his legs. “Will you watch me, please?” he asked sweetly.

“Oh gods, yes,” he moaned. Yugi smiled, immediately taking Atem back in his mouth. He hollowed out his cheeks, making sure to return Atem’s burning stare with his own. He wanted Atem to see him, see that he was the one doing this, that no one else could do this to Atem except Yugi. Around the pulsing erection in his mouth, Yugi murmured, “Mine. You’re mine.” The vibrations of his voice had Atem nearly lifting off the seat as he arched.

“Yu-Yugi, I-I’m not… I can’t…” He wasn’t going to last much longer. Yugi nodded and then took a deep breath before taking more of Atem’s length into his mouth and down his throat. He had been practicing for weeks in order to do this, training his gag reflex away so that he could deepthroat Atem properly.

It was immediate. As soon as Atem was fully in his mouth and Yugi looked up at him to meet his gaze, Atem came hard. “Oh, Yugi!” he yelled; Yugi briefly hoped they were in far enough in the air that no one could hear them. But if they did, well, oh well. He didn’t regret it for a second.

Yugi gripped Atem’s butt, holding him steady as the man arched off the bench with the force of his orgasm. Even once his muscles relaxed, he was still twitching. Yugi waited until he had finished completely, swallowing everything down, before finally pulling away. He rose up, grinning at the sight of the disheveled, breathless man in front of him.

Gently, he kissed Atem on the lips. “I love you,” he told him again. “Thank you for coming back to me.”

“You’re worth it,” Atem managed to gasp out, clutching Yugi’s arms to keep him from pulling away. “I’ve never regretted it for a single second.” Yugi kissed him again; he spent the rest of the ride with his mouth against Atem’s. It was only when the gentle sway motion came to an abrupt stop that they remembered where they were.

The conductor cleared his throat, murmuring, “The ride is over, Mr. Mutou, Mr. Sennen.” Yugi nodded and went to raise up, and then realized with a start he had never fixed Atem’s pants. He angled his body to block Atem’s bare waist from view, and in a rush, tried to tidy Atem up, much to both of their mortification. He hoped the Kaiba Land employee couldn’t see what had happened.

Yugi gathered their things and held out a hand to Atem, painfully avoiding eye contact with the conductor. Atem gripped his hand and stood up… only to immediately fall into Yugi’s arms. His legs were still shaking from the blow job.

“I really blew your mind, huh?” Yugi whispered, discreetly holding him upright by putting an arm around his waist.

“That was amazing,” Atem responded dreamily, still walking out of the passenger car with trembling legs.

“H-have a good night, Mr. Sennen, Mr. Mutou,” the man called. Yugi caught sight of the man's blush and grin and internally winced. He tried to pretend like he hadn't just been giving his boyfriend the most mindblowing mouth fuck of his life, squaring his shoulders and shooting the conductor a smile. He and Atem both thanked him, wished him to have a good night as well, and walked away. 

It was when they were almost out of the park that Atem grinned and said, “You know, I’m pretty positive he knew exactly what we were doing.”

“Me too," Yugi responded with an embarrassed laugh. "Let’s just hope he doesn’t tell Kaiba. That's an email I really don't want to have to come in on Monday morning.”

“Hey, Yugi?” Yugi looked over, wordlessly asking what was up. “When we get home, I’ll be returning the favor. I will blow your mind, too. But, until then… Thank you for tonight. For everything. This was amazing.”

Yugi leaned against his shoulder, smiling. Eager anticipation coiled in his stomach and he realized he’d have to do more things, like blow jobs in a Ferris Wheel or just deciding to go to amusement parks, on a whim again. It was going to turn out quite nicely for him, he hoped. Not that he needed the reciprocation; he just wanted to make Atem happy. “Thank you for being with me, Atem. For coming back. For being here with me.”

“Always, Yugi. Always.”

* * *

On Monday morning, Yugi did indeed have a very angry email sitting in his inbox from Kaiba. However, not because they had been caught about the whole blow job in a public place thing, like Yugi expected. But because Kaiba had heard that all his high scores had been beaten in the arcade.

“I will rectify this immediately,” was how the email had closed out. 

Yugi grinned. “Looks like I'll have to let Atem know that we’re going to be having quite a few more dates at Kaiba Land, huh?” He didn’t think Atem would mind that at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm really really really behind. I spent all weekend drawing almost the rest of the pictures for these prompts. They gotta be inked and colored still but at least I'm up to Jest which is Day 21 so... Let's hope for writing to work out. Yikes. 
> 
> I'd say I'll get the Game prompt up tonight but that's probably gonna be a lie... I still have to write it, after all ahahaha


	14. Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi asks Atem to test out his new Ancient Egypt DLC idea for his VR game. Atem is more than happy to oblige.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit, I'm so behind. Hopefully this particular chapter makes up for it. I'm pretty sure it's my longest yet, which is part of the delay. Google Docs is saying it's 15 pages and over 6000 words so it's decently sized, I think. 
> 
> Anyways, Yugi and Atem are married in this chapter and, since I never really specify in the chapter, they have been married for a few years at this point. They're in their late twenties and Yugi is a very accomplished game developer at this point. Also, this chapter is just filthy. Definitely a hard smut warning for this.

##  14:Game

“So, I don’t know if this would be weird or anything for you. But I was hoping you’d test this out with me—it’s new DLC I’m creating for the VR Monster World RPG—but like, it’s Ancient Egypt. And I know that it might be uncomfortable for you so if it is just tell me, but since you like lived there and stuff, I was hoping you might—” Atem pressed a finger to Yugi’s lips, cutting off his nervous word vomit. 

“I would be honored to test out your game. How far along is it?” Yugi gave him a blinding smile, eagerly pulling up the file on his laptop to show Atem. His desire to show off his game made Atem’s heart swell. He loved how passionate Yugi was about his work; the joy that lit up his eyes whenever he talked about his games or his new ideas made Atem want to listen to him forever. 

“I’m pretty far along in the main story mode but I only have two class types fully playable which is kind of a problem. I also only have one storyline really fleshed out. So for a full DLC pack? Not overly far along. But for the point of this test, pretty much everything is finished. If this all goes smoothly, I can pretty easily implement the other characters and tweak the storyline around to fit other roles.” He pulled up the character design sheets and Atem sucked in a breath. 

Yugi gave a nervous laugh. “Sooo… You may have been my inspiration for the Pharaoh character. He wields a sword and magic, primarily dark and light types. He has a lot of charisma and strength and can get people to listen to him and follow him easily, but he suffers from the fact that he gets targeted a lot for assassinations and betrayals. Oh, and unlike other characters, if he dies and you’re not playing as someone trying to overthrow him, it’s an automatic game over.” 

“He does share a striking amount of resemblance to me, huh?” Yugi flushed. 

“I may have made this a bit of a self-insert story, if I’m being honest. Possibly a fantasy? The main character—okay,  _ my _ character—is the Pharaoh’s personal servant. He’s a really powerful magician but he tries to hide it in order to blend in more. His class type is called the Pharaoh’s Shadow, but he poses as a simple servant most of the time. And he may or may not wield a dragon that’s named Gandora.” Yugi gave a sheepish smile. “To be fair, though, I plan on making all the playable character types have a dragon available.” 

Atem laughed, definitely noting the primary character had a striking resemblance to his husband. “And, tell me, is there a romantic subplot in this story?” 

Yugi blushed hard. “...maybe,” he muttered. “But, I mean, multiple characters can have a romantic partner! The High Priest and the Dragon Medium, the High Priest and the General, the High Priest and the Seer Priestess… Umm, the High Magician and the Magician’s Pupil, or the High Magician and the Seer Priestess… Erm, the General and the Harem Overseer.” Yugi snapped his fingers. “The Dancer and the Harem Overseer! Well, just about anyone can try to pair up with any of the characters, but only a few have happy endings.” 

Atem gave an amused grin. “And who can be with the Pharaoh?” He gave a pointed look and asked teasingly, “Only the Pharaoh’s Shadow?” 

Yugi pouted. “Yes. I just don’t like the idea of anyone else ending up with you except me.” Atem kissed his cheek, laughing. 

“I know, my love, but I think you’ll need a few more options.” Then again, the thought of someone else being with him made Atem cringe internally. “Though, I don’t know. I suppose the Pharaoh only having one romance option makes him more of an untouchable character, doesn’t it? It wouldn’t really feel the same if  _ every  _ character had the potential to get with him.” 

“Exactly!” 

He shrugged, grinning. “Also, I’m biased because I don’t like the idea of me being with anyone but you, too. Though… How many people can the Pharaoh’s Shadow be with?” 

“Technically speaking, all of them. But he will only ever confess his undying love and actually spend the rest of his days with the Pharaoh. Everyone else, even if they confess to him and he sort of accepts, he’ll always tell them at the end of the journey that his place is at the Pharaoh’s side and nothing will change that. I suppose you can say that those two are the canon couple of this DLC world.” Atem laughed warmly, wrapping his arms around Yugi’s neck. 

He loved his husband’s ideas and characters. “All right, and these dragons? And how many character types are you going for?” 

Yugi hummed, clicking a few different files before pulling up his data sheet. “You may potentially see some overlap with your, uh, your memories. I do plan on changing the default names, but they’re placeholders for now.” 

Atem sucked in a deep breath, looking over the data sheet. 

_ Seth: High Priest. Wields swords, hidden knives, and has a knack for poison. Already has accessibility to the Blue Eyes White Dragon. If he bonds with the Dragon Medium, he can get access to more powerful forms of the Blue Eyes White Dragon. _

_ Mahad: High Magician. Wields all magic types, magic staff, but predominantly strong with dark magic. He can summon the Thousand Dragon.  _

_ Jono: The General. Wields a sword and a variety of other weapons. Uses the Red Eyes Black Dragon. _

_ Mana: The Magician’s Pupil. Wields dark magic and a magic staff. She takes care of the Baby Dragon. Has a lot of latent power. _

Atem stopped reading, feeling tears suddenly blurring his eyes. He blinked them away, swallowing hard. There were more characters but he just couldn't read anymore—the flood of sudden emotion was overwhelming.

Yugi turned around and looked panicked. “I’m so sorry! I’ll remove the names!” Atem wiped his eyes and shook his head, squeezing Yugi’s shoulders. 

“Please don’t. I think… I think I’d really like these to be the final names, if that’s okay? I feel like that’s a really beautiful way to… to honor their memories.” Yugi’s eyes turned soft and he nodded. 

Gently, he reached up and wiped a few of Atem’s stray tears. “Absolutely. I will definitely do that.” That voice was all it took for Atem to lean down and kiss him, his heart overflowing with love and affection for his husband. Yugi was so absolutely wonderful to him. Always considerate, always loving, always trying to include Atem’s old life and culture in any way he could into their modern lives—everything from the altars and prayers he participated in with Atem at home, to singing the hymns as best as he could to the different gods during Atem’s religious holidays, to celebrating the Ancient Egyptian's New Year’s festival at the beginning of September with him, to this, by including Atem's friends and culture in his game in order to share it with the world. It all just made him feel like he was the luckiest man alive to have someone like Yugi with him. 

Yugi broke apart first, tucking Atem’s bangs behind his ears. “Shall we go ahead and play? I hope you don’t mind being the Pharaoh…?” Atem smiled and shook his head. 

“I feel like I might be rather good at that role.” He slipped on the KaibaCorp headset and arm piece Yugi had already prepared, pulling up a few screens before sitting down. Kaiba’s VR technology was clever. It immersed the player entirely in the world and all that was needed was the arm controller, ear mic, and two clips that went on his head. Between the three components, a player was put in a totally immersive world, oblivious to the outside (though there were sensors that could fine tune how immersive the experience was). 

He and Yugi were going for total immersion. They relaxed in their chairs and closed their eyes, falling into the gentle lull of the KaibaCorp VR experience. It sucked them into the new world of Yugi’s creation.

* * *

The Nemes Headdress was  _ hot _ . He had forgotten how stifling it could be to wear in the desert heat. Atem was sure his hair was going to be matted to his head, drenched in sweat when finally took it off. Ugh. He wished he could remove it but it wasn't an option. He’d have to tell Yugi about that. This would be miserable for anyone playing as the Pharaoh.

Atem was sitting on his golden throne, waiting for the story mode to start. He knew it had to start soon; most of the conversations around him were idle and like muted background noise. He sighed, resting his cheek on his palm, utterly bored. 

“Pharaoh, watch out!” Atem jerked, unsure of where to move or duck or look. He heard the dart spiraling through the air too late. 

_ Oh fuck. I’m already going to die? That was fast!  _

“I don’t think so!” A figure leapt out from behind the throne, holding up a serving tray to block the poisoned dart from hitting Atem. 

His heart sped up and it wasn’t just from nerves. The figure in front of him had such a slender, familiar body. The linen skirt clung perfectly to his ass, the fabric so fine, it was almost see-through in the bright light. He wore a golden collar and a single golden armband but was relatively plain besides that. 

Well, that wouldn’t do. Atem would have to decorate this  _ servant _ of his properly. 

He definitely loved the idea of Yugi in Ancient Egyptian clothing. His heart was _pounding_.

Oh, and also, he was pretty sure if he had a heart meter in this game, it was quickly shooting up. He wondered how many hearts he needed before he could enter into a relationship with this character. Or marry this man. His husband. He wanted to remarry his husband. 

There was a cacophony of activity suddenly, people surrounding him, bodies blocking his view, and the beautiful servant boy ducked out of sight before Atem could catch where he went. He stood up off his throne, wondering how on earth Yugi had slipped away from him so quickly. 

“Pharaoh, are you all right?” The Isis clone asked him. Atem nodded, distractedly looking around. 

“Where did that—the boy? Where did he go?” 

“The servant boy?” Mahad was there and oh, that was like a punch to the stomach. He looked so familiar. Yugi was clearly drawing on their memories of their time in the Millennium World Shadow Game back before Atem had left to the other side. “He went back to the other servants, I suppose. I can ask for him if you’d like?” 

“Please do. I want to see him.”  _ In my private chambers. Where I can reward him most excellently.  _

Atem wondered if sex was allowed in this game. Had Yugi programmed that far ahead? Well, if he knew his husband, mmmh, yeah. Probably. There was definitely a sex mechanic that could somehow be activated. And if there wasn’t, well…  _ There should be. _

He settled back on his throne and person after person began to talk to him. Which, Atem supposed, made sense. He was playing as the Pharaoh so he had to have his own goals and tasks to accomplish, too. Well, he might as well do them while he waited for Yugi to show back up in his sight. After all, he was supposed to be testing the game. He couldn't just focus _entirely_ on Yugi.

* * *

Yugi hadn’t come back. Mahad hadn’t found him, no one knew his name, and Atem was going insane. It had been three in-game days since he had saw the boy and Atem was ready to scream. He knew he was progressing quickly through the plot, even with trying to take sidequests to strengthen his bond with his friends, given the different cutscenes he had been experiencing. There was definitely a plot ramping up—again, very similar to what Atem remembered in his memories—as a thief was making trouble for them and speaking out against the Pharaoh. No one could seem to find this thief but it was only a matter of time before the thief showed up, Atem was sure.

But yet, no Yugi.

He was currently doing a quest for Seth—something to do with tracking down guards about a rumor of a dragon girl—and it was like fate. He turned a corner and slammed into someone. 

Atem stumbled backwards, rubbing his forehead—god, Yugi’s pain reception was on point again in this game—and heard a groan as someone fell to the ground. “My apologies. I didn’t mean to—” Atem’s voice died in his throat as bright violet eyes stared back up at him. 

“Y-you! You’re the one who saved me! I’ve been trying to find you for days!” Yugi’s eyes were wide before he looked side-to-side, as if planning an escape. Atem seized his arm, kneeling down in front of him. “I don’t think so. Not until I know your name.”

Yugi sucked in air, biting his lip as he looked away, refusing to meet Atem's eyes. “My name is Heba, Pharaoh.” Yet, Atem saw a flash of something in his eyes, even from the side. It was annoyance. Heh. Atem wondered if he had just made Yugi fail a quest. Ah. That would explain why he had been avoiding him. His character goals were probably programmed to be in the shadows and to masquerade as a servant. Standing at Atem’s side was probably dangerous. 

Good. Let Yugi sweat a little. They both liked a challenge, after all. “I’ve wanted to thank you since the first day. You surely saved my life. Please, I’d like to make you my personal servant. To be at my side wherever I go.” 

_ And as soon as I figure out how to activate the romance component, you bet your ass I’m testing that out on you, too.  _

“M-my Pharaoh, I’m honored, but I’m just a regular servant. I don’t think I’m worthy of—” his voice cut off into a painfully shy squeak as Atem gripped his chin, forcing Yugi to meet his gaze. 

“Don't be afraid to look at me," he murmured gently. "You have my full permission to look at me whenever you please. I would like that very much."

Yugi's eyes focused on him before flickering away. He hesitantly tried to protest, letting out a weak, "B-but that—"

Atem cut him off. "I believe I am the Pharaoh, correct?” Yugi nodded. “My word is absolute, yes?” Another quick nod. “Then I absolutely demand you not be afraid to look at me. And to be at my side. Forever.” 

There was a sudden pause, one that wasn’t programmed in the game. Yugi must have entered a developer mode. A screen appeared before them. “This is strange,” he said lightly, pulling away from Atem and scrolling rapidly through the code. “So, your conversation right now would fall into a 4 or 5 heart convo, which is the max heart points you can have with someone. The fact that you’re coming on to me  _ so strongly _ right now is some sort of bug. I’ll have to fix that.” He popped up a screen and Atem could see a list of faces with hearts next to them. 

Yugi slid around to Atem’s side so they could see it together. “This is your heart menu. Which, if you haven’t figured out how to activate it, you need to tap your heart twice. Anyways, look at this. You have friendship hearts with everyone else—only Mahad, Mana, and Seth have anything over one heart. And then there is me.” He pointed to the violet-eyed icon named  _ Heba _ . “You’re at five hearts. You’ve maxed out your hearts with me already, which shouldn’t have happened. After all, this is our first real conversation in game.” 

“Maybe my real feelings are influencing the game mechanics?” Yugi bit his lip, returning to his coding screen. He typed in a few notes, flagging certain areas. 

“I’m not sure. It could be but I don't really know how to fix it. You see, it’s interesting because it’s supposed to be very hard for you to gain hearts with anyone past three hearts—three is your best friend level. The exception is the Heba character, who you have a faster connection rate with, but even with that, you still shouldn't have jumped up this fast.” 

“What are your hearts at with me?” 

“Mmm, four. Heba naturally starts out with high affection to the Pharaoh, though: at three-and-a-half hearts. It’s actually a weakness of the character because if, say, the Pharaoh comes on to him or asks him something, it’s extremely detrimental for him to refuse. It wipes out several goals and lowers experience points. He also can gain those hearts really easily so long as the Pharaoh is a good person.” 

“I can be a bad pharaoh?” 

“Mmm-hmm. I’d prefer you not, though, in this demo. We can explore that later.” Yugi returned to typing something in the developer screen, biting his lip and narrowing his eyes in concentration. Finally, he sighed and shook his head.

“So did you fix the heart bug? Or am I stuck loving you for the rest of the game?”

Yugi laughed and closed his screen. “You are stuck, I’m afraid. This will have to be something I work at in front of my computer. I’m going to go ahead and unpause. We’ll just see what happens with this romance.”

“Hey, wait. Is there a sex mechanic in this game? How do I activate it?” 

“Planning on fucking me already?” Yugi asked with a smirk. Atem shrugged and nodded. No sense in lying. His husband laughed. “Of course I programmed one in, just for this reason. It’s pretty similar to the Monster World one. You need the other person to have four or more hearts and then you need to collect certain items to unlock the mechanic. Afterwards, you take them to the correct spot and have at it.” 

Atem pouted. “So there are assigned spots in this one, too?” he asked with a whine. Instead of rolling his eyes, like Atem expected, Yugi flushed from the neck up. 

“Well, there, um, is going to be. But I may not have gotten around to programming them completely. So… the entire palace and some places outside are all technically an applicable sex location.” 

Good Ra, he was going to fuck Yugi on every surface imaginable. As soon as he figured out what he needed to unlock it. 

“And unlocking it? What do I need?” There was an eager edge in his voice that Atem didn't bother trying to hide. It didn't matter what VR game they played; if there was a way to have sex with Yugi in a game, he took it up gleefully. Still, Yugi frowned, shaking his head. 

“Uh-uh, I’m not telling you. You're supposed to figure this stuff out on your own. The only hint I’ll give is that there is one item that is the same for every character, but each potential partner has their own items or goals you have to meet before you can bed them. Three total items to find. So good luck finding mine, my dear. Now I’m unpausing.” 

They shifted back into the position they were in before they had paused. Yugi’s chin was in Atem’s grip and the servant boy was blushing hard. Perfect. “So, what do you say, Heba?” Atem made sure his voice was dripping like honey. “Be by my side? My own personal protector?”

“As you wish, my Pharaoh. I’ll accept.” 

“Excellent! Now, to get you some more gold. I want you to look the part if you’re going to be with me all day.” He smirked at Yugi’s pained look. “Come, my lovely Heba. There is much to do.”

* * *

Damn it all! It was so frustrating trying to unlock the final few items in order to have sex with Yugi. It turned out that the jewelry marking Yugi as his personal servant was actually one of the items he needed. Atem assumed, though, any gift probably worked. Or the jewelry was enough because it was the Pharaoh's way of showing Yugi as  _ his.  _ Honestly, Atem wasn't sure _why_ the jewelry worked but a gold icon had appeared in his heart screen next to Heba's heart rating, so Atem knew he had at least found one item. 

As for the other two items, Atem had no idea what they could be. And he had been searching for them for  _ days _ .

He had finally relented to proceed back to the main plot. Atem had completed nearly all the sidequests for his friends; it would have to be something his discussed with Yugi because certain sidequests shouldn't have been playable yet. It revealed important plot points that hadn't happened yet. There had also been a glitch he had stumbled into on one of Isis's quests and was lucky he didn't have to exit out completely from the VR world to restart.

As for today’s quest, he and Yugi were able to team up. They were both outside the palace, in the city. They were there to greet the people but the true purpose was to find out about the thief. He had been spotted lurking around the city and after he had broken in and stolen several treasures from the royal tomb, the Pharaoh wanted him captured immediately. 

Everything was going normally when Atem felt it. It had to be because he had been leveling up and his heart ratings were up so high with Yugi; Yugi had mentioned during one of their developer pauses that closely bonded characters could sense danger for each other. Well, Atem was experiencing it now. His senses tingled and he whirled around, withdrawing his sword just in time to deflect a downward strike of someone trying to stab Yugi in the back. 

“Heba!” Atem called out, terrified and furious all at the same time. He didn’t waste time, slashing the man in front of him and killing him. 

“Pharaoh!” Yugi was suddenly slamming into him, knocking him on his back. Before he could react, there were glowing balls of magic in Yugi’s hands that he was shooting with pinpoint accuracy at their attackers. Holy shit. Atem knew Yugi had said Heba's character was powerful, but that magic was insane. It reminded him of Mahad. He'd have to get more information on the stats of Heba to see if he naturally started out this strong or if Yugi had been leveling up during their time apart.

Shadowy thieves surrounded them from all angles. The creatures cut Atem off from his guards and even his other friends. The worst part, though, was that people were being used as shields. It made it nearly impossible for his guards to force their way through without hurting innocents.

Atem clutched at Yugi desperately, torn between telling him to get the hell out of danger and wanting him to remain at his side. He definitely felt so much stronger with Yugi next to him. Yugi didn’t give him a choice, though, standing up and wielding magic that looked incredibly powerful. He wondered if Mahad had been tutoring him in private. 

Not to be outdone, Atem let his own dark magic crawl along his skin, gathering in his palm. He hadn't been sitting around idly, either. “You will back away,” he demanded, “or else we will eliminate you without mercy.” The villains around him simply laughed. How generic. He might have to bring that up, too. “Fine. Have it your way. Destroy them, Heba.” 

It was like he had said the magic words. Yugi’s eyes narrowed and he suddenly lurched into the air, spewing blasts of fire, wind, and balls of light in every which way. Atem was briefly terrified they would miss and hurt the civilians, but he should know better. Yugi would never attack without being perfectly confident that he wouldn't hurt someone else. Sure enough, they struck their targets exactly, sending many of the shadowy creatures dissolving into a heap of screams and black tar-like blood. Atem wasn't going to let Yugi do all the work; he wanted battle experience, too! He took on those closest to him, sending shadow magic to lock around the creatures bodies and holding them in place. Atem took his glorious sweet time in slicing their throats, grinning maliciously as the shadow blood spilled from their necks. 

That was probably too vicious. He would have to be careful on that. He could internally feel his goodness meter falling, even if they weren't quite humans he was killing. 

Yugi landed back on the ground in a crouch, protectively guarding Atem. They had killed enough people that Atem’s guards could make it through to them. The rest of the enemies were rounded up and destroyed, while Atem and Yugi were ushered back towards the palace. His guards were antsy to get him out of danger.

Before they could take another step, though, Atem grabbed Yugi and kissed him full on the lips. “I love you,” he whispered. “Thank you for protecting me and always being at my side.” 

Yugi melted in his arms, swallowing hard. “Anything for you, my Pharaoh.” 

“No,” Atem began, feeling something so right settle into his bones. “No, call me Atem. You have my permission to use my name freely.” Yugi’s eyes were shining so brightly. He was trembling in Atem’s arms. 

That wasn’t what was distracting Atem, though. Internally, he heard a ding. Curious, he tapped his heart twice and pulled up his heart menu. Sure enough, beside the five hearts next to Heba’s name was a new item. Next to the jewelry was a picture—well, not really a picture, exactly, more like a word—that said "Name". 

Ahhh. Giving Yugi permission to use his given name had unlocked mystery item number two. Only one thing left to go and Yugi would be under him in no time.

* * *

Atem couldn’t figure out the last damn item. It was something shared by everyone, too, he assumed. Unless the jewelry was the thing shared by everyone? That meant he’d have to find another of Yugi’s items or goals.

There definitely needed to be more hints in the game about this. He was dying to take Yugi to bed with him. Or take him in one of the lotus pools. Or maybe outside in the garden. On the throne. Oh yes, definitely the throne. 

He sighed, leaning against his lovely guard. Yugi looked down, smiling, before pulling something from behind his back. “I hope this isn’t presumptuous of me, Pharaoh—” Atem glared and Yugi flushed, correcting himself, “—Atem, I mean. But I uh, I picked you this.” He uncupped his hand, offering a blue lotus flower. 

Atem’s breath caught as he reverently took the flower. “No, not at all. Actually…” He grinned and gestured for Yugi to come closer. Yugi lowered to his knees in front of Atem and Atem stuck the blossom in his hair, tucking it into his bangs. “That’s perfect. You’re beautiful.” Yugi’s eyes suddenly glazed over, looking faraway. Atem recognized it. Yugi was having something activate in the background; he had either just completed a goal or succeeded in some sort of quest. 

And then he stood up suddenly and waved over a servant. “Can you get us some oil, please? In a jar?” That made Atem draw back in confusion. What the hell was happening? Why did Yugi need oil all of a sudden?

Yugi boldly sat on his lap, his eyes smoldering. Atem was briefly taken aback at the sudden change in attitude. While he was used to this sort of behavior from his husband in the real world, Heba had been far more proper and shy, never instigating anything with him. 

But now…! Yugi was leaning forward, ghosting his lips along Atem’s teasingly. “Are you ready to test out something else?” he asked lowly. His eyes were dark with lust and it made Atem’s stomach clench in anticipation. If Yugi didn’t fuck him in this game  _ right then _ he was absolutely quitting so he could take his husband several times on the floor of the KaibaCorp game testing lab. 

The servant girl was back at Yugi’s side, handing him and Atem a small jar of oil. There was another ding inside his ears and it was when Atem realized what this was. 

“Are you serious? Oil is the final item?” Yugi smirked, pouring some on his fingers. 

“Lube is important, no matter where you are in time and space. If I’m going to have sex in my games, I’m damn well going to make it proper and as safe as I can.” He straddled Atem’s waist, pushing the Pharaoh back against his golden throne. 

“I’ve been trying to figure out what I needed in order to fuck you senseless for nearly four days now! Are you kidding me?” Yugi laughed. "What were my items? It looks like you succeeded in unlocking something for me, too." Yugi gestured to the lotus in his hair. "A lotus flower? Really? What else?" 

"When I agreed to stay at your side forever. The first conversation we had." Atem wanted to ask more questions but was derailed with Yugi's next movements. He shocked Atem silly when instead of lifting up Atem’s shendyt—like he was expecting—he lifted up his own. Yugi rose up to his knees, spreading his legs as far as he could while still on the throne, and inserted a finger into himself. 

Atem suddenly couldn’t breathe at all. “Are we really about to fuck on the throne?” He swallowed hard, glancing around Yugi’s body. There were  _ definitely  _ still NPC characters in the room: servants and guards and the like. “Is this allowed?” 

“Haa, so I forgot to really take something like this into account. I mean, sort of. See, the NPCs are all programmed not to say anything to you so long as your goodness meter is up pretty high. Typically, that just means they'll follow your orders for normal things without question. Not necessarily sex. As it is, your goodness meter is very high, so all they can do is watch; they can’t protest any of your actions. So, we get to give a consequence-free show. Hope this is as much of your fantasy as it is mine?” 

“I was definitely planning on fucking you on the throne.” Atem didn’t really have public kink like it looked like his husband did, but damn, he didn’t mind it. Unlike Yugi, he was a lot more comfortable with nudity given his culture, so it might have been why he wasn’t quite as turned on by the  _ forbidden _ aspect of what they were doing. Not that he was daring enough to have sex in the open like this. But, hell, games were games. And having a game designer as a husband had perks he was definitely up for exploiting.

Yugi slipped two fingers into his own ass, throwing his head back with a loud moan. He was riding his fingers and Atem was  _ rigidly _ hard watching his husband. God, he was suddenly so extremely glad their characters looked so much like themselves. He wouldn’t be able to get off if this game avatar didn’t look exactly like Yugi. 

His hand slipped up his own shendyt, grabbing his cock and stroking it as he watched the man on his lap ride his own fingers like they were the best damn thing in the world. Yugi inserted another finger, groaning as he stretched himself wide. Fuck, that looked amazing. 

Atem couldn’t hold back from touching him anymore. He grabbed Yugi’s hips, steadying him and dragging him forward, lifting him up higher so his dick was in front of Atem's face. He engulfed Yugi, taking his cock into his mouth. Delightfully, he realized Yugi had omitted programming a gag reflex so he was actually able to take his entire length into his mouth. Excellent, because unlike his husband who had trained his gag reflex away, Atem had been unable to master that particular skill. 

Yugi cried out at Atem’s mouth around him. He thrusted and Atem gleefully let him. Finally, Yugi could fuck his mouth without making him choke. This was  _ amazing. _

It didn’t take long with Yugi riding his own fingers and fucking Atem’s mouth for him to come. It was violent, squirting down the back of his throat as Yugi let out a loud scream. Atem released him with a lewd pop once he was finished, licking his lips exaggeratedly. Yugi’s pupils were blown wide, his chest heaving. His fingers slipped out of him, all of his body trembling. 

“What’s the recovery time in this game? How long until you can go again?” Atem asked, wanting to just shove his cock into Yugi and let his husband ride him until he was seeing stars. 

“Just fuck me and we’ll find out,” Yugi demanded breathlessly. Atem grinned and slicked his own cock with oil, before taking Yugi and lowering him down onto his dick. They both threw their heads back with simultaneous moans. 

“Ride your Pharaoh,” Atem commanded. Yugi groaned deep in his throat but immediately began to lift his body, sliding up and down his cock. The heat encompassing him was scalding. Atem could hardly watch Yugi as he bounced up and down on his lap; the sight was so enticing, he was scared he’d come far too quickly. 

Yugi was so absolutely beautiful, though; Atem couldn’t keep his eyes off of him. He thrusted back, rolling his hips every time Yugi came down. It drew an honest-to-god scream from his husband’s throat. 

Fuck, he loved seeing Yugi lose his restraint. There was definitely something freeing about fucking him without any worries in this game world. And it definitely felt dirty, but in a good way, about screwing him in front of all his subjects. Like showing him off to the world—but yet never allowing them to touch. Yugi was all his and no one else’s. Only _he_ could give Yugi this pleasure. Only _he_ could make Yugi scream like this. 

“Gods,  _ yes _ , Atem!” Something about those words, the expression of pure rapture on Yugi’s face, and the sweaty, mesmerizing picture he made riding his cock was too much. Atem came hard—so hard, he felt like he had whited out. The world blurred around him and all he could hear was ringing in his ears. He was pretty sure he had yelled or moaned or screamed. Maybe all three. He wasn’t sure. 

When he finally came back down to earth, he was still sheathed in Yugi’s deliciously warm heat. Normally, the added stimulus would be too much for his body to handle so quickly. But he didn’t feel oversensitive like normal. And, judging from Yugi’s smoldering look, he wasn’t done, either.

“So, I may have purposely not programmed a refractory period in this game as of yet. And I may have tweaked some of the VR settings so that this doesn’t mess with our heads  _ too  _ much, though I’m not promising that when we come out of the game, our pants aren’t a sticky mess. But, my point,” Yugi grinned impishly, “is that we can go another round or two before we get too exhausted and lose our stamina. You game?” 

Atem answered with a thrust of his hips. “Absolutely. Besides, I’m the Pharaoh. I should make sure to prove to my people that I’m in perfect health. Very fertile. We Egyptians appreciate healthy fertility, you know.” 

Yugi was gasping with each thrust, his face flushed and his bangs matted to his forehead. But he still looked down and smirked. “Absolutely.” He moaned when Atem the perfect spot. Beautiful. Atem had been looking for that. “Gotta s-show the people your stamina a-and how well you can fuck your—oh,  _ fuck _ , Atem!!—your husband.” His words ended in a breathless scream. 

“I plan to. As well as planning on showing my husband how well I can fuck him into oblivion. Hold on tight, dear. You’re in for a ride.” 

* * *

As it turned out, there was a limit to how many times they could fuck each other to completion. Four. Four times in one session and then they both passed out and restarted in their respective beds. So, really, three was the limit. Four was an instant KO. Apparently, it drained their stamina rapidly after awhile.

Not that it really stopped them. Exploring all the different areas to fuck and suck each other off was easily becoming Atem’s favorite part of the game. He was 100% going to ask Yugi once they got out to keep the really explicit sexy-time stuff as a separate copy just for them, and then edit and fix all sexual content for the mainstream release. 

After all, there was a lot of freedom being able to screw each other outside on the garden grounds, surrounded by flowers and beautiful plants, and out in the warm sun. Or when Atem leisurely rode Yugi in one of the bathing ponds; it was so nice because it was so much bigger than their bath at home. The bed wasn't quite as much fun, given how small and not-so-soft it was. They had fucked each other on some floor cushions, though. That was pretty interesting.

One of the most fun places, though, was against the wall in the palace. Yugi had slammed him against the limestone bricks, lifting his shendyt and thrusting his oiled fingers inside Atem in one smooth motion. He had quickly stretched Atem before sliding inside him in one quick motion. And then Yugi had practically pounded him against the wall, rutting against him desperately and striking the perfect spot inside him again and again and _again_ until Atem was simply screaming. Atem was definitely glad this was just a game, though. The sounds that came from his mouth would have been mortifying if his actual real-life subjects had heard him, and considering how Yugi didn't care at all where he took Atem and who was watching, they definitely would have seen and heard Atem's desperate cries.

Of course, Atem got his revenge by bending Yugi over the balcony railing and plowing into him until Yugi was sobbing his name, barely able to hold himself upright as Atem fucked him into oblivion. 

And then many, many, many times on the throne. Sometimes Atem rode Yugi, other times Yugi rode him. Sometimes it was just Yugi down on his knees sucking him off as Atem worked on completing whatever goals and challenges he could without moving from the spot. He liked to multi-task in that way; play the game and work to complete the plot, while working to get his own happy completion, too.

(That multitasking was another glitch that Yugi said he’d have to fix. They shouldn’t be able to have sex and still interact with other people, let alone complete quests.)

But after screwing each other senseless in every place possible, they had to return to their main goal; after all, they still had a story to complete. Both of them could feel the VR exhaustion setting in, considering they had been testing the game for over a week in real time. It was starting to strain their minds, giving them headaches when they exited out at night and making it hard to focus during their normal waking hours. So they had agreed to progress to the final boss before giving the game a rest for a few days. They could go back and explore other avenues and even other characters later once Yugi did his first round of corrections.

So, after several intense plot points and cutscenes (one of which seemed to be based on the time where Bakura had invaded the throne room; as the thief in this game broke into the throne room, too, trying to attack the Pharaoh and losing), they had finally made it to the final battle. It had been an intense journey leading up to that point and Atem had to commend Yugi. It was a great, engaging plotline. 

The final boss was incredible, though. Atem was amazed at the set-up. It definitely reminded him of Zorc but without all the soul-crushing, triggering memories associated with the battle. He loved his husband so much. Yugi was just so carefully considerate of him and Atem appreciated it so much; after all, Yugi could have put something resembling Zorc into the game, but instead, he had chosen to go a completely different path, knowing that would be much easier on Atem's mind in the long run. Yugi had allowed the thief to collect five special elemental jewels that instead of summoning the ultimate darkness and sacrificing himself, it instead summoned a deadly powerful fusion monster: the Five-Headed Dragon. 

It was an apt final boss. Monstrous, overwhelming, terrifying, but not to the point where it felt hopeless. 

They had their team behind them, too, that helped: Mahad, Seth, Isis, Mana, Jono, Kisara, and more characters based on their friends. But beside Atem stood Yugi, looking absolutely fierce and incredible. Even with the scratches and bits of blood on him from the grueling battle leading up to this moment, Atem thought he looked radiant standing there, ready to take on the whole world if it meant saving him. 

“It’s time,” he murmured. "I don't have any other option." He lowered down into a crouch before slamming his hand on the ground and shouting, “Break from your chains! Gandora, the Dragon of Destruction, come to me!” A red lock appeared on the ground and then snapped, bright red light shining all around Yugi. 

Then from his summoning circle rose a fierce, but beautiful creature. Gandora, the Dragon of Destruction roared, before curling protectively around Yugi and Atem. It’s spiked tail thumped against the ground as it snarled at the Five-Headed Dragon. 

“Gandora! Attack the dragon!” Yugi commanded. Gandora took off and slammed against the huge dragon. The two tumbled and clawed, biting and snapping at one another.

From behind them, Atem heard several more summoning chants as his friends called for their own allies. 

“Blue Eyes, join in!” There was another roar as the Blue Eyes White Dragon soared across the sky. A beam of lightning shot from its mouth. 

“You, too, Red Eyes! Help Gandora!” The Red Eyes Black Dragon shot a mouthful of black flames, spewing them across the Five-Headed Dragon’s back. It let out a roar of pain. 

“Thousand Dragon! Destroy it!” Mahad shouted, signaling for his dragon to join in. The aged dragon was slow but powerful as it lumbered over to the Five-Headed Dragon to join it's other dragons.

Atem wouldn’t let them all fight for him. After all, he was the Pharaoh. He would fight, too. He took a deep breath and drew all the magic into his hands before shouting into the sky, “Slifer, the Sky Dragon! Come to me!” He shot the blast of light magic into the air, ripping open the clouds. From the crackling storm clouds, his dragon heard his call and materialized. The majestic red beast let out an unearthly wail before zooming through the air and slamming into the Five-Headed Dragon. It pushed the beast away from Gandora. 

Now, with all five dragons attacking, the Five-Headed Dragon couldn’t keep up. They watched as their own friends wore down the mighty terror. Finally, they managed to toss it to the ground and it was the chance everyone had been waiting for. Mahad was the first to yell out.

“Inferno Flame Breath!” The Thousand Dragon opened his mouth and flames spewed out. Jono took the hint and directed his dragon to attack with its most powerful move, too. 

“Inferno Fire Blast!” Black hellfire shot from the Red Eyes Black Dragon mouth, mixing with the flames from the Thousand Dragon’s blast. Seth was never one to be left behind or outperformed. He yelled out for his dragon to attack next.

“Burst Stream of Destruction!” The Blue Eyes White Dragon shot a plasma ball into the flames, combining with the other moves. 

“Slifer! Thunderforce Attack!” Atem roared, not wanting to waste the opportunity, either. Lightning shot from both of Slifer’s mouths, piercing the dragon from behind.

“You too, Gandora!” Yugi took a deep breath and roared, “Boundless Gigarays!!” Lasers shot from the scales on Gandora’s back, slicing through the severely weakened Five-Headed Dragon.

They watched as the dragon roared in agony, burning before their eyes. However, it wasn't for long as Yugi was gripping Atem's wrist and snapping his attention off the dragons. “Now, Atem! It's out chance to end this! You and me!” He gestured for Atem to follow him. He dashed forward and gathered a ball of light energy in his hands before blasting it at the thief controlling the dragon. Atem followed after him and shot his own blast of dark magic, entwining it with Yugi’s. It made a perfect spiral, balanced evenly and in perfect harmony. Just like they were in life. Light and darkness, complements in every way that worked in beautiful harmony. 

The blast hit their mark, blowing through the thief. 

Almost instantly, the Five-Headed Dragon exploded with its host defeated, bursting into a multitude of colorful flames. The thief staggered from the hole in his chest before he vomited out thick, black darkness. He collapsed to the ground, dissolving into a cloud of dust. As soon as he was gone, the darkness covering the sky suddenly broke, letting the sunlight through again. Like a new day dawning.

Yugi grinned, sagging against Atem. “We did it. We win.” Atem leaned down and kissed him. 

“Yes, we did. We make the best team.” As they kissed, both of them felt the world fall away from around them. 

When they opened their eyes, they were back in KaibaCorp. Yugi took a deep breath, removing the VR set. “What do you think?” he asked Atem almost shyly. Despite being so proud when he first spoke about his ideas and his games, Yugi always became nervous when asking what someone thought about his games once they played them. Even now, he wouldn't meet Atem's eyes, biting his lower lip as he waited for the evaluation.

“Yugi,” Atem called softly, making his husband look at him. “This was amazing. It was so much fun, and not just because of all the delightful sex. That was amazing, too, by the way. But your plot is engaging and fun, and that final battle was gorgeous! It was an incredible experience.” Yugi smiled brightly, lurching forward and hugging Atem tightly. 

“I’m so glad you liked it. Thank you so much for testing it with me.” 

“Of course.” Atem pulled away and winked, giving him a cheeky smile. “Also, if you could save this version of the game before you edit all the sex fixes? So we can use it again? That would be fantastic.” He fluttered his eyelashes, trying to butter Yugi up to agree. Yugi laughed, kissing his cheek, and nodded. 

“That sounds like a great idea. But,” he began, leaning forward, “I do prefer the real thing. Shall we go home and see if the virtual compares with the reality?” 

“Oh. I’m quite fine with that.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's cross out fingers for the Yearly prompt to come out sometime. Someday. Maybe tomorrow? Maybe Thursday? Who knows? I sure don't. 
> 
> I swear all these prompts will be finished before December. Err... New Years? Definitely New Years. (God I hope so).


	15. Yearly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi disappears with Kaiba every year on Kaiba's birthday. Atem finally decides to ask him where they go - Yugi invites him to come along to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to your regularly scheduled fluff. Another chapter where Yugi and Atem are married.

##  15: Yearly

Joey was poking his lunch halfheartedly, clearly distracted. Atem raised an eyebrow; it was always a rare occurrence when something bothered Joey so much he couldn't even eat.

“Is something wrong?” he finally asked. Joey sighed, setting down his chopsticks as he seemed to give up on attempting to eat.

“Have you ever noticed that every year on Kaiba's birthday, Yugi and Kaiba disappear for almost an entire day? And it's always on Kaiba's birthday. I've noticed it now for the last three years.” At Atem's raised eyebrow, Joey elaborated, “Cause I've been trying to plan stuff on his birthday since I started here and it never pans out! He's always _too_ _busy._ ” 

Atem hummed in thought. He honestly hadn't ever noticed. They normally celebrated Kaiba's birthday with a party, even if Kaiba always said he didn't want one (it was a lie. He definitely enjoyed them or he wouldn't keep coming). Though thinking back, Atem realized they had never celebrated Kaiba's birthday on his actual birth date. 

And, he realized, Joey was right. Yugi always did seem to have plans with Kaiba on that date, though Atem honestly had no idea what they were. Admittedly, that was rather odd. While he didn't know  _ everything _ his husband did through the day, he normally had a pretty clear idea of what he was doing when he was away from the office, especially if Yugi was going to be with Seto Kaiba. Mostly because Yugi tended to complain about those days, or would have an amusing story to tell once he came home. And, in general, he just tended to let Atem know what he was doing just… well, just because. It was just how they worked. Atem always told Yugi where or what he was doing, too. They just... didn't have secrets from each other. Or at least, they tried not to.

Yet… He had no idea what Yugi did with Kaiba every year on his birthday. He was aware Yugi was going somewhere tomorrow but Yugi hadn't told him where. He hadn't given him many details at all. He had only mentioned it in passing this morning because he was giving Atem a heads up that he wouldn’t be able to make their lunch date tomorrow. They always had lunch together on Thursdays. 

“I tried to ask Yug about it but he just gave me a vague answer and managed to change the subject so smoothly, I didn’t even notice until we had parted ways and I was thinking back on it later.” 

“Huh. Yeah, that does sound like Yugi when he is trying to avoid a conversation.” Atem frowned, twirling a bang around his finger in thought. “I’m not sure. He’s never mentioned it before. If it makes you feel better, I’ll ask him about it later. I’m sure it’s just something simple—maybe they get lunch together each year, or something.” Atem didn’t need Joey’s raised eyebrow or skeptical expression to know how weak the suggestion sounded. 

The truth was, Joey was right. It was strange that Kaiba and Yugi disappeared on Kaiba’s birthday each year, didn’t tell anyone about where they were going, and that they seemed reluctant to let anyone find out about whatever it was they were doing . 

“Just let me know if you find out,” Joey finally said with a sigh. Atem nodded. He would ask Yugi about it when he got a few minutes to sneak up to his office. 

As it turned out, Yugi found him first. Atem was sitting in his own office, going over his critique for a game he had just beta tested. Kaiba wasn’t going to be happy with it. The game was from a new developer they had just hired and while Atem tried to cut newer developers some slack—after all, his husband was a game designer, so Atem truly did understand the difficulty of what designers did and how hard they worked—this creator was just… not good. His ideas were generic, the game was glitchy, and just… overall, it was boring. It just wasn’t up to KaibaCorp standards. 

He groaned, running a hand through his hair in frustration. He  _ hated _ giving awful reviews like this. But this was just… it was just terrible. And Atem wasn’t even the first beta tester; this had been the third round of testing and looking at the other critiques of the other game testers, many of the same things Atem had been faulting him on had already been pointed out. These errors were supposed to have been fixed. 

“Oh, that sounded bad. What’s wrong, babe?” Atem looked up, seeing his radiant husband leaning against his doorframe. “Uh-oh, I know that face. Bad test?” 

“I was the third tester. He hasn’t fixed anything from the previous rounds.” Yugi sucked in air through his teeth. They both knew that Kaiba had a zero-tolerance policy for that. It was one thing to have a shitty game. That, Kaiba could theoretically improve upon. It was another thing entirely to get critiques and not fix it. Kaiba couldn’t fix laziness or liars. He could fix bad games, he couldn't fix bad workers.

Yugi walked closer, placing a hand on Atem’s shoulder in comfort. “Hey. You gotta do your job, too. We’re told upfront about this. If he isn’t taking the time to improve his work, then he isn’t cut out for this company.” Yugi’s eyes became a little harder. “All of the developers work hard to put out top-tier quality games for this company, so it isn’t fair to us, either, if someone releases subpar quality games and besmirches our name.” That made Atem release a breath and nod. Yugi was right. 

“I still hate to get someone fired,” he said quietly. Yugi nodded, his face easing into a tender expression. He cupped Atem’s cheek and pressed a kiss to his forehead. 

“I know, my love. I hate that, too.” 

Atem leaned into Yugi’s body, taking comfort in his husband’s warmth. They were quiet for a few minutes as Atem simply soaked in Yugi's presence. He always soothed his nerves and calmed him, like a balm to his tense nerves. Finally, he felt right enough to smile up at the beautiful man standing over him. “Well, what do I owe this pleasant surprise? You don’t usually get a chance to come and visit me.” Yugi laughed, nuzzling his cheek. 

“I know. But if I saw one more line of code, my mind was going to explode. I thought a break to visit my favorite person in the world was perfectly acceptable.” Atem smiled, scooting his chair out some and offering his lap. Yugi giggled and gracefully sat down, laying his head on Atem’s shoulder. Atem stroked his hair, glancing over and seeing Yugi’s eyes closed. His husband really was tired; he had been working hard as of late, programming a new VR game. It made something pang in Atem's chest. He hated when Yugi worked too hard. He'd have to spoil him rotten come this weekend to make him feel better. 

“Hey, my love?” Atem asked after a few minutes, remembering his promise to Joey from lunch. Yugi let out a sleepy, “Mmm?” still not opening his eyes. “You said you were going out with Kaiba tomorrow, right? What’s up? I thought you were on a hiatus from doing promotions until the game was finished.” 

It was so slight and fast, Atem nearly missed it. He only felt it because Yugi was in his lap. But Yugi tensed ever so little when Atem had asked where he was going. Yet, when he answered, it was with that same ease and nonchalant attitude that Atem would have expected normally. “Oh, it’s not really a promotion. He just asked me to help him out with something. Meet with some people or whatever. Nothing major.” He didn’t even open his eyes. 

“Ah, okay.” Any other time, Atem would have accepted the answer. It seemed normal enough. But just… there was something nagging him about it. He wasn’t sure what. He didn’t want to pry too hard, though, not if Yugi was reluctant to tell him. It definitely wasn’t worth getting into a fight or upsetting Yugi over.

And it wasn’t like Atem didn’t trust him. Because he did. He didn’t think Yugi was doing anything nefarious or bad. But it just seemed… odd for him to keep secrets. Not that Yugi didn’t deserve his privacy! Married or not, Atem respected his husband’s boundaries and the right to his own secrets or private thoughts or actions or whatever. 

But…

No. It wasn’t worth upsetting Yugi. Atem let the subject drop.

* * *

Yugi smiled brightly at him, setting down a plate with omelette rice in front of him. He kissed Atem’s cheek, before sliding to his own seat with his own omelette. “Breakfast is served!”

Atem gave him a weak smile. All night, it had been bothering him. What was Yugi hiding? Where was he going with Kaiba on his birthday? What did they do year after year? 

It was driving him insane and what made it even worse was that Atem knew he shouldn’t feel that way about the entire thing. It wasn’t his business. Yugi was allowed to do things by himself without telling Atem! He trusted his husband with all his heart and soul. If Yugi wasn’t telling him, then there was a good reason for it. 

But… but… he just… 

“It’s Kaiba’s birthday today, isn’t it?” Atem asked suddenly, trying to remain casual. Yugi blinked, pausing as he bit his omelette. He took the time to swallow before speaking. 

“Yeah. It is. His party is on Saturday, though. We’re doing it at KaibaLand, specifically the arcade, because Mokuba said Kaiba has been obsessed with trying to beat our high scores.” He laughed but stopped quickly when he realized Atem was forcing a smile. 

Yugi tilted his head, frowning. “Okay, what’s up, Atem? You’ve been… sullen since last night. Is something wrong? Did I do something?” Atem blinked and shook his head. 

“Of course not!” But then he bit his lip and sighed. “Well, no. Not really. But… Okay, I just—” he took a deep breath. “Just, where do you and Kaiba go every year? You… you won’t tell us.” 

Yugi’s eyebrows creased and instead of turning angry, like Atem thought he might, he looked sad. “I’m sorry, Atem. I wondered when you would ask. It’s not that I wanted to hide it from you—I promise I’m not doing anything bad! We’re not like trying to hide anything, or doing anything bad, or like having an affair or anything.” That made Atem recoil. 

“A-affair? That never crossed my mind!” That was one thing Atem never worried about—for either of them. Yugi was far too loyal and kind to ever think about cheating on his husband. Atem didn’t even think he’d believe that Yugi was cheating on him even if he saw proof of it; it just wasn’t fathomable in his mind. It just wasn’t who Yugi was. And he knew Yugi never had to worry about him, considering he was exclusively attracted to Yugi. Other people just didn’t even appear on his radar, not like his husband did. Only Yugi could arouse him so intensely. No one else could compare.

"Oh. It's just... I knew it probably looks bad like that. You know? The vague answers and disappearing along together and not telling anyone. It just screams shady," Yugi admitted, looking down. He was biting his lip in his worry, looking so guilty. Atem couldn't stand it. He hated when Yugi was upset. 

Gently, he reached across the table and took Yugi's hands in his. His husband looked up and Atem offered a reassuring smile. “My love, I never didn’t trust you. I just… didn’t like the idea that you didn’t think you could tell me something. But I wanted to give you your privacy. I’m sorry, too. If you have a reason for not telling me, I know it’s important. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pried.”

“No, honestly, I expected you to ask a lot sooner. It wasn’t that I wanted to hide from you. But I made a promise to Kaiba when this started seven years ago. It was before you even returned to life. But I promised him I wouldn’t tell anyone what we were doing, to protect his privacy.” 

Atem winced as he gave an embarrassed smile. “I… I actually didn’t figure it out, if I’m being honest. Joey brought it up yesterday at lunch. He’s been trying to do something for Kaiba on his birthday for the last three years and is always shot down. That’s when he pieced together you two were always gone and asked me about it. It’s just bugged me since.” 

Yugi laughed and rolled his eyes. “I told Kaiba he was being too blunt to keep brushing Joey off. He should’ve just told him from the very beginning. Here, look. Call Joey and tell him to come with us. I’ll text you the address and you can meet Kaiba and I there, okay? I’ll show you what we’ve been doing for the past seven years. I think it’d be a good thing for you two, too.” 

“Are you sure? I don’t want to… to intrude.” Yugi shook his head, leaning over the table and kissing Atem. 

“You’re my husband and I want to share every part of my life with you. This is no exception. Besides, it’s time Kaiba learns to let more people in than just me and Mokuba.” 

* * *

“You’re positive this is where Yugi told us to go?” Atem felt just like Joey as they pulled into the parking lot. It was a rundown part of Domino City. The building looked fairly renovated, a clean two story with fresh paint and a new roof, but it still seemed... old. It was clear that money had been invested in it but the entire area looked downtrodden. Not a place Kaiba would normally go.

Maybe Yugi had given them the wrong address. But just before Atem could call his husband and confirm, he spotted one of the discreet KaibaCorp company cars and knew Yugi and Kaiba were inside. He pointed the car out to Joey, who shrugged and said, "Guess they really are there. Let's go." He and Joey headed out of the car and towards the entrance. The building itself was relatively unmarked; only once they had gotten to the door did they see a small sign that stated “Domino City Orphanage." Atem and Joey shared a look before pushing on inside. 

They entered a small reception area; it reminded Atem of the waiting areas in doctor’s offices. There was a woman sitting behind a glass panel, typing at a computer. She looked surprised to see them, sliding open her window. “Can I help you?” 

“Yes, we’re here with Seto Kaiba and Yugi Mutou,” Atem said. The woman looked shocked. 

“They didn’t mention anything about others coming.” 

“I’m actually Yugi’s husband,” Atem explained, holding up his hand to show off his ring. “If you call for him, he’ll come and get us.” She nodded, grabbing the phone and making a quick call. She explained the situation and hung up, nodding at Atem and Joey. “Mr. Mutou will be here shortly.”

They waited for a few minutes for Yugi to pop his head out of the door. “Hey, you made it! C’mon, Mokuba and Kaiba are back there with the children already. I’ll fill you in as we go.” He gestured for the two to follow him into the back of the orphanage.

“This is where Kaiba and Mokuba lived, isn’t it?” Atem asked quietly. Yugi nodded. 

“When I was nineteen, Kaiba asked me to come with him. He said the children wanted to meet me so desperately and he couldn’t come empty-handed that year. I agreed, of course. We’ve been going every year since then. It’s how Seto chooses to celebrate his birthday. To remember where he came from. And to help those that were just like him.” He paused in the hallway, bringing Atem and Joey to a stop behind him. "Kaiba asked to keep this private largely so that the media wouldn't find out about the children and disturb them. The less people we told, the less chance anyone would find out. I think he was also just embarrassed he did this. You know how he is." They all grinned and rolled their eyes at that.

Yugi led them into a room that resembled a cafeteria. All around them were tables and chairs with children playing games, coloring, reading, or playing with toys. And there in the back sat Seto Kaiba, two children on his lap as he read a book. Three more children were at his feet.

At one of the other tables, Mokuba sat, coloring pictures with another group of children. 

“We spend the whole day here playing with the children. We usually take them out to a movie, lunch, and then order pizzas and Kaiba and I will play a mock duel to finish out the night. Right now, we’re just playing with them. We’ll head out to lunch around 12. Kaiba already rented out the Mouse Trap pizza arcade place down the street. They’ll play games, eat pizza there, and win tickets and just have fun for a few hours before we come back home.” 

“No movies?” Joey asked. 

Yugi shook his head. “Nothing that good playing this time around. Besides, I think the kids may enjoy having a few more duels show to them than usual tonight. I hope you two brought your decks.” 

“Pfft, you know we never leave home without it, Yug.” 

The group was interrupted by a tiny hand tugging on Yugi’s shirt. “Mr. Yugi? Who’s that?” The girl pointed at Atem and then Joey. More children were looking at them and even Kaiba had paused in his reading to, one; glare at them for coming there, and two; let the children hear who was joining them. 

“Well, J.J., this is my best friend in the entire world, Joey Wheeler. And this is my husband, Atem.” 

“Husband? But you’re a boy!” Another child called out. Yugi smiled gracefully, nodding. 

“I am. And so is Atem. Does that matter? We both love each other very much.” The boy tilted his head, contemplating. Finally he shook his head. 

“No, I guess not! C’mon, let’s play!” 

Another child came up to them, though this one tugged on Atem’s pant leg. Atem blinked and kneeled down so the boy could whisper in his ear. “I like boys, too,” he told Atem softly. Atem smiled, placing a hand on the child’s shoulder. 

“There isn’t anything wrong with that.” He smiled and hugged Atem tightly. 

And with that, it was like the dam broke. Children surrounded them and Yugi introduced all of them to Atem and Joey. They split apart to play with the kids; Joey opting to play toy cars with several of them, Yugi taking some of the toddlers and playing blocks with them, while Atem opted to play with dolls with the ones who wanted to. 

Hours went by quickly in the orphanage. They went out to the pizza parlor, all of them joining with the kids to win tickets and play games. Atem and Kaiba began to compete, much to the children’s delight. Joey challenged Kaiba at one point to air hockey and the kids broke into teams cheering on the boys, before they asked for Yugi and Atem to fight. It was a close match with only one point separating them but unsurprisingly, Yugi beat him. After that, Atem and Kaiba went back to competing at every single game in the arcade. By the end, the four of them had won thousands of tickets which they split between all the children.

Returning back to the orphanage, Mokuba started a movie. Several children laid down for naps, while others played games quietly while watching the movie. Many of them spread out along the room, some sitting at Atem’s feet and reading or playing with blocks, while others reclined on the floor or on cushions. 

It was the first time the kids had really begun to get cranky, but it was clear it was due to tiredness. Yugi had his hands full with a fussy baby who he had to feed a bottle, while Joey was being used as a pillow for four different children on the floor. Kaiba was rocking another baby to sleep, his expression far more gentle than Atem had ever seen before. Even Mokuba had a child on his lap and two more leaning against him as they watched the movie. 

When one little boy began to fuss, Atem kneeled down to see what was wrong. The boy whined, reaching for Atem to pick him up. He obliged and bounced the toddler on his hip, letting him rest his head against his shoulder. It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep against Atem. 

Gingerly, he moved to stand next to Yugi. 

“How are you doing?” Yugi asked him quietly, not taking his eyes off of the baby in his arms. The sight was enough to make Atem lose all the air in his lungs. Yugi just looked so… beautiful standing there, holding a baby so carefully and feeding him. 

“I’m so thankful you brought me here. I love children and this has been an incredible experience. I hope you and Kaiba will allow us to continue to join you each year.” Yugi glanced up to smile at him. 

“I hope so, too.” 

There was something about the image of Yugi holding a child, being so caring and loving to children that weren’t even his… it made Atem’s heart crave something deep inside. He had always wanted children, even back when he was the pharaoh. He was expected to have his own family, and in general, children were a natural part of Ancient Egyptian life. After he had died and been sealed away, he had given up that dream, though. 

Coming back to life, he had slightly entertained the idea but being so madly in love with Yugi, he wasn’t sure how Yugi thought about adopting or even getting a surrogate. After they started dating and got married, he had contemplated the idea of children much more frequently. Yugi had said he wanted children eventually and that was really the extent that they had worried about it. After all, neither of them wanted children right then—considering they had barely been married over a year. They still wanted to live their own lives first.

But seeing Yugi hold a baby made every paternal instinct scream inside Atem fiercely. If he ever had a doubt before, he didn’t now. He wanted to be a father with Yugi. He wanted to adopt a baby and raise it with Yugi. He wanted to adopt a family with Yugi. He wanted to watch their children grow up. He wanted to see them off to school and go to PTA meetings and take them to soccer practice and dance practice and ballet recitals and gymnastic competitions. He wanted to help them with homework, make them dinner, tuck them into bed and read them a bedtime story. He wanted to pat the space between him and Yugi in their bed for their child to come and crawl in when they were scared or when the thunder spooked them at night. 

He wanted to teach them his culture and religion, teach them his language. He wanted to tell them about the friends of his past and pass along his memories of his loved ones. He wanted to teach them it was okay to love whoever they wanted, and that kindness was the greatest strength of all. 

He wanted to be up at 2 in the morning with a crying baby, rocking it back and forth as Yugi made a bottle. He wanted to be there at 3 in the morning, falling asleep on the edge of his child’s bed when they were sick and wanting to make sure they were okay. He wanted to be there at 4 in the morning, crying with them over their first heartbreak and telling them it would get better soon, that they had the rest of their life ahead of them and someone better would definitely come along. He wanted to be there at 5 in the morning, telling them to hush when they were too loud with their teenage friends spending the night, before they woke Yugi up. He wanted to be there at 6 in the morning, bringing a cup of coffee for the all-nighters, cramming for exams and helping them study, promising that college would be over soon enough.

All the ups, all the downs, all the tears, all the smiles, all the laughter, all the pain… Atem wanted to be there for it all. And he wanted to do it with Yugi at his side. 

“What is it?” Yugi asked him softly. 

“I want to have a baby with you,” Atem whispered. “I want to raise a family with you. Not right now. But in a few years. I’d really like… I’d really like to start a family.” 

“I’d like that, too, Atem.” Everything about Yugi was so soft. It didn’t make sense but somehow, Atem was falling in love with him all over again. He didn’t think it was possible to love his husband more than he already did, but it was true. Just seeing Yugi like that… Atem just loved him so much. 

* * *

It was late at night when they all left the orphanage. Yugi had mentioned they had stayed later than usual, being there to tuck all the children into bed. 

“I can’t believe you two showed up,” Kaiba gruffed out, but his voice lacked any real edge in it. “I can’t believe you told.” He glared at Yugi, who simply smiled and shrugged. 

“It seemed like time to let more people in,” was all Yugi said. “An extra birthday gift.” Kaiba grunted but didn’t protest. “So! We’ll see you both back here next year?” Yugi directed the question more towards Joey, already knowing Atem’s answer. 

“Oh yeah. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Today was… amazing.” 

“Good!” Mokuba chirped. “That means Big Bro and Yugi don’t have to keep sneaking around year after year. Why this was such a secret is beyond me.” 

“Well, now it doesn’t have to be.” Yugi stopped and smiled at both Atem and Joey. “Thank you for coming. I think the kids really enjoyed seeing you both. They look forward to us coming each year. I know they'll be so excited to have you both there, too.” 

Atem nodded. “Well, now we can look forward to the same.” And so much more, he thought, looking at Yugi. In a few years, they would have their own children to raise. 

He couldn’t wait for what the future would bring for him and his husband.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this was supposed to be out last night. It was finished and everything and I was doing final edits, getting ready to post... and I fell asleep. I woke up at like 5 am with my laptop still sitting open on my chest and was like, "Oh shit!" When I clicked it on, I had somehow lost everything I had edited on the chapter :'( It was just all gone.
> 
> So, here we go again. Hopefully this time will keep.


	16. Obsession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Atem has been playing a new game and is unintentionally ignoring Yugi. Yugi finally decides enough is enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) Another smut chapter. So explicit warning ahead.
> 
> Also, Yugi and Atem are back to dating in this chapter. Timeline wise, it's a few months before they get engaged.

##  16: Obsession

It was 4:13 in the morning. The red numbers almost seemed mocking as Yugi stared at them, wishing them to change. 

4:13. 

It couldn’t be that late. 

Correction, it couldn’t be that late and his bed  _ still _ be empty. 

Yugi felt intense annoyance as he watch the clock turn to 4:14. Atem wasn’t coming to bed. Atem was still in the living room on the couch; Yugi just  _ knew _ it. 

While, theoretically speaking, Atem could be suffering from insomnia, or he could have had a nightmare, or he may not have been able to sleep and had slipped away from bed to watch TV or play a game or something to not disturb Yugi, Yugi seriously doubted it. He’d be more inclined to believe something like that if this wasn’t the  _ sixth _ night in a row that Atem hadn’t come to bed. He’d almost believe Atem was upset with him if he didn’t know what else was going on. 

Atem was obsessed with a new game. He had barely put down the tablet since he had started playing it. From the time Yugi left in the morning for work (Atem was on the dueling circuit right now, so he was excused from KaibaCorp for about a month or so until the tournaments ended), to when he popped in for lunch, to the time he got home at night from work, until he went on to bed, Atem had hardly moved from his spot on the couch. 

Oh sure, he would talk to Yugi. Wish him to have a good day at work, ask him how his day was going when he came in for lunch, ask him how his day went and what he wanted for dinner, and then tell him he’d be up to bed soon—but he was hardly engaging with him like normal. They weren’t playing games together. When they talked, Atem always seemed distracted—because he  _ was _ —and Atem barely moved enough to eat or shower. And, of course, he wasn’t coming to bed. Yugi wasn’t even sure when he was sleeping. 

Now, Yugi understood the gaming obsession. He  _ was _ a gamer, after all. He was a freaking game designer. He  _ understood _ . He really, truly did. He got obsessed playing new games. There were times that all he did was binge a game for a week straight. Hell, when he was creating Spherium, he was always working on the game and barely paying attention to Atem. He tried to include Atem as much as he could and tried to pay attention to him, but Yugi knew he had fallen short back then with his boyfriend. 

However. Yugi could at least say he had never not slept with Atem for more than a day during those times. He always joined him in bed. He would always take a break at least once a day to spend time just with him. They always kept their date nights. 

Yugi took a deep breath, staring up at the ceiling. He flushed away the anger. He knew Atem just had this type of personality. His boyfriend was someone who hyper-focused on one thing and did that one thing obsessively. It was part of the reason he was so incredible at Duel Monsters. Or games, in general. He had to play them until he was perfect at it, figure it all out, and do it again and again and again until he couldn’t consume it any more. 

Still… Yugi missed Atem. He missed sleeping next to him. He missed his kisses. He missed their talks each night. He missed the way Atem would wrap him in his arms and tell him everything would be okay. He missed the way Atem would listen to his problems and give him a different idea and different way of thinking. He missed when he told Atem how someone said something to him that hurt his feelings, how Atem would get so protective and righteous on his behalf, telling him he didn’t deserve that type of negativity. He missed Atem stroking his hair, telling him how it was okay to be kind, even to people that weren’t kind to him. He missed Atem’s touch, both gentle and tender, or passionate and intense. 

This week had been a rough week at work. Today had been the tipping point. Yugi had presented Kaiba his final draft of Spherium II and Kaiba had ripped it to shreds. Yugi had stood his ground and tried to explain his changes or his reason for doing what he did, but there were some things that Kaiba just didn’t like and didn’t want to release. And Yugi knew, deep down, that Kaiba was so critical because he wanted the game to succeed. And he knew that Kaiba’s ideas and critiques  _ would _ make the game better. 

But it still hurt. Kaiba was not gentle in his approach and his words were callous. Normally, Yugi could take a large dose of Kaiba without feeling too hurt but today… today had been too much. He had felt like shit all day since then and all he had wanted was to go home and just fall into Atem’s arms and have his lover make everything go away. He wanted to just feel better and not worry about it until he went back to work on Monday. 

Atem had hardly noticed his mood tonight. He had been so involved in his new game. And Yugi understood; Atem was almost at the end of the game, he was trying so hard to beat it. He could cut him slack for that. It just… it just still sucked that Atem didn’t notice how much Yugi needed him right then. He had been hoping that once Atem came to bed, they could cuddle and talk, and then Atem could screw him into oblivion until the only thing he thought about was Atem’s body on his. 

Considering it was now 4:22 in the morning, though, that didn’t look like it would happen any time soon. 

Yugi sighed, his eyes flickering back to looking up at the ceiling. He had three different options. He could roll back over and go back to sleep. He could wander down the hall and ask Atem to come to bed. Or he could go join Atem. 

Going back to sleep was the easiest but Yugi knew it would not have a positive outcome in the morning. His anger would fester and Yugi would spend tomorrow either ignoring Atem on purpose, or Atem wouldn’t notice, and it would just hurt him even more. Likely, it would evolve into a fight at some point and then come Monday, Yugi would be returning to work to a stressful situation with Kaiba with all his personal life stress on his shoulders from the weekend, too. It wouldn’t make a good week and at some point, Yugi would just crack from the emotional pressure. He didn’t like that idea. 

Going down and asking Atem to come to bed was a 50/50 shot on what would happen. On the optimistic side, Atem might catch the tone of Yugi’s voice and his body language, realize something was wrong, and spend the next several hours and day comforting him. They’d work out their problems, Yugi wouldn’t feel so lonely anymore, and then Atem could go back to playing his game tomorrow or Sunday. 

Or, it could go poorly. Atem might tell him he’d be up in just a bit and then never show up until early morning, if he came up at all, and Yugi would be back to the whole festering anger and sadness thing. He didn’t want that chance, either.

That left option number three. Yugi could go and join him. Best case scenario, Atem would pay attention to him. Worst case scenario, Atem would still focus on his game, but at least Yugi would be pressed against him and could lose himself watching Atem play games. It wouldn’t fix their problems but it would help ease Yugi’s raw nerves some. 

He swung his legs out of bed, tugging down his tank top, and headed down the hallway to find Atem. Sure enough, his boyfriend was lying on the couch, tapping ferociously away at his tablet. Yugi simply stood in the doorway, watching Atem play. His tongue was sticking out, his eyes narrowed in concentration, as he moved his finger across the screen, directing his characters to fight and move. He was on his stomach, stretched out along the couch. One glorious brown leg was extended out to rest his foot on the top of the couch, his other leg bent and foot hooked underneath his opposite knee. 

Yugi traced the gorgeous skin again and again with his eyes, feeling his mouth water. Atem’s body was utterly stunning and to see him lying so casually there—only in his boxers and a tanktop that was riding up to the middle of his ribs—created such a sensual picture. Yugi’s lower body tingled with the painful reminder that he hadn’t gotten off in over a week. That was a stark difference, considering he and Atem typically had some sort of sexual release with each other  _ at least _ once a week. Average was normally once a day. 

Yugi couldn’t deny they had an insatiable appetite for each other. 

Shifting uncomfortably, he tried to force away any growing hardness in his own boxers—he honestly hadn’t come to bother Atem for sex; he wanted comfort and to just be with his boyfriend—before he walked across the living room and settled on top of Atem. 

He pressed his chest against Atem’s back, slipping one leg between Atem’s thighs, while he rested his head against Atem’s. He wrapped his arms around his neck, watching Atem play. 

“Yugi?” Atem turned slightly, his finger pausing on one of his characters, as he tried to look at him. “Did I wake you? Are you okay?” 

Something about his words made tears prick at his eyes. He blinked them away and forced a smile. “I just missed you. Can I just… stay with you right now?” 

Atem twisted around more, looking concerned. “Of course.” He stared into Yugi’s eyes, seemingly trying to look for something. Yugi swallowed, looking away and glancing back at the tablet screen. 

“Finish your level. I don’t want you to lose.” Atem hesitated and Yugi nuzzled his cheek. “I promise. I’m just going to lay here right now. I just want you next to me. Please. I didn’t mean to interrupt you. Finish the level.” Atem looked torn but finally nodded, turning back to the game. 

He worked quickly, but Yugi did feel at ease watching him play. There was something relaxing about watching the swipes of Atem’s fingers and his intense focus as he did his best to finish his level. It helped, too, just being on top of Atem. The stress just melted out of his body.

As soon as Atem defeated the boss and beat the stage, he clicked his tablet off, setting it aside. He rolled onto his back, facing Yugi and wrapping his arms around Yugi’s waist. The new position had their lower halves rubbing most pleasingly against each other, reminding him again that he hadn’t had sex in some time. “Darling, what’s wrong?” Atem’s words derailed any other horny thoughts, bringing back the real reason why Yugi was in there. 

“I just… I miss you,” Yugi responded quietly. He nuzzled into Atem’s chest, resting his ear against Atem’s heart. He closed his eyes, listening to thump of his heartbeat. “We haven’t spent much time together this week. And today… today was…” Yugi’s voice cracked and he swallowed hard. Atem stroked his back, slipping his hands underneath Yugi’s tanktop to trail his fingers down his skin. 

“What happened?” Atem asked softly. 

Yugi shuddered, finally giving up and just letting his tears slip out. “Kaiba. He reviewed Spherium II today and it was just… rough. I feel like it’s just a disaster now. I don’t even want to go back on Monday.” 

“Oh, love, no… Your game is amazing. You’re amazing.” 

“I don’t feel amazing, Atem. I feel like a failure.” His lips trembled. “I feel like I’m drowning and I don’t know how to make it better.” Atem tightened his arms around Yugi, reaching one hand up to cup the back of his head and stroke his hair softly. 

“You are so incredible, Yugi. I know you don’t feel it right now. But you truly are. Kaiba is being so hard because he wants you to succeed so badly, even if it seems like he’s just being overly critical. But more than that, you can do this. You’re so strong and you’ve come so far already.” 

Yugi sniffed, nodding. “I don’t feel… I don’t feel strong right now, though.” 

“That’s okay. I’ll help hold you up. I’ll show you how incredible you are.” Atem paused, tensing, and it was enough to make Yugi look up. Atem looked suddenly stricken. “Oh, Yugi… I’m so sorry.” He wiped the tears still falling from Yugi’s eyes. “I’m so, so sorry. I’ve been so involved with this game that I… I haven’t been paying attention to you when you needed me. But I’m here now.” He seemed to hesitate before finally saying, while gently rubbing his lower half against Yugi, “If you’ll have me, that is.” 

Even with his tears and stress, he could feel himself harden at Atem’s words. His blood was heating in his body. His dick twitched, reminding him  _ again _ that it had been much longer than usual since it had been touched. 

It wanted to be touched. Yugi wanted to be touched. Yugi wanted Atem to touch him. 

He thrusted back, almost desperately rubbing himself against Atem. “Yes, please. Please. Whatever you want to do to me.” 

“I’ll make you forget everything except me,” Atem told him with a smile. Gingerly, he rolled them over so that Yugi was now underneath him. He kissed Yugi, lavishing his mouth with careful attention from his tongue and doing his best to light every nerve ending in Yugi’s lips on fire. Yugi simply succumbed, letting Atem have his way with him.

There were many days that Yugi enjoyed taking charge and absolutely wrecking Atem. He loved entering him, loved the glazed look Atem got in his eyes when he felt Yugi inside him, loved his moans when Yugi hit just the right spot. He loved riding Atem. He loved bending Atem over and putting him on his hands and knees as he pounded into him until Atem came so hard, he lost his voice from screaming so loudly. He loved fucking him and he loved taking gentle care of him afterwards. He loved kissing him, washing him up, loved making sure he was comfortable and content when they had finished. 

Today, though, was a day that Yugi didn’t want to take charge. He didn’t want any control. He just wanted Atem to ravish him senseless. And thankfully, Atem seemed to understand that. 

His boyfriend trailed his kisses along his neck. He nipped lightly at the pulse point in his throat before biting down harder at the junction between his neck and shoulder. Yugi let out a low moan, feeling Atem suck and then swipe his tongue over the mark. He pressed a few more kisses and then continued his journey downward. He stripped off Yugi’s shirt, tossing it carelessly aside, and then teased his nipples into hard peaks. 

He licked and sucked the buds, pressing kiss after kiss along his chest. One hand was deftly rubbing one nipple, while his mouth worked relentlessly on the other. Yugi breathed out his moans, chanting Atem’s name so softly, it was like a whisper. Atem didn’t seem to mind as he trekked downwards. 

Tongue, teeth, and lips skimmed over every exposed inch of skin on his stomach, before Atem finally made it to Yugi’s boxers. Atem pulled those off, but didn’t touch him where Yugi wanted him to. Instead, he continued his teasing foreplay, worshiping the rest of Yugi’s body. Atem kissed his thighs, trailing his lips from his inner thigh down to the underside of his knees, even down to his ankle. Then he kissed his way back up the other leg until he was back to Yugi’s cock. Atem massaged his hipbones as he finally kissed up and down Yugi’s shaft, making Yugi toss his head back with another groan. 

“How would you like me to take you?” Atem asked softly as he reached underneath the couch to where they hid their lube. His free hand pulled his boxers off of him, and once he got the lube out, Atem slicked his fingers. 

Yugi thought for a few minutes before turning to his side so that Atem slid behind him, spooning him. “Is this okay? I just… I want to feel your arms around me.” Instantly, there was an arm around his waist, fingers brushing along his stomach. 

“Of course, my love.” A lubed finger slipped between his ass cheeks, pressing into his hole. Yugi sighed happily, letting his eyes fall shut. He just wanted to lose himself to the feeling of Atem. 

Another finger entered him, and both began to search for something. Atem probed inside him before bending his fingers and pressing against the bundle of nerves inside of him. Yugi let out a low, “Ahhh, right there, Atem.” He obliged, massaging Yugi’s prostate until Yugi’s felt like he couldn’t breathe. He was panting hard, his mind filled with nothing but Atem’s name. His entire body was warm all over as he simply basked in the pleasure. 

A third finger was inserted into him as Atem finished stretching him open. “You okay?” Atem murmured into his ear. Yugi nodded, wiggling his butt against Atem’s cock teasingly. Atem groaned, before slicking his dick, and then entering Yugi ever so slowly. But Yugi was thoroughly relaxed, accepting Atem into him eagerly. 

His thrusts were languid, slow and deep. It wasn’t the furious fucking they sometimes partook in, but just luxuriously soft and tender. It was everything Yugi needed. Atem was curled around him in a hug, holding him tightly as he worked on adjusting his angle so he could strike that one spot that made Yugi see stars.

When he finally found it, Yugi let out a cry. “There we go,” Atem murmured, working on striking it again and again. At the same time, Atem stroked his dick, his hand sliding back and forth in gentle motions. 

“Oh Atem,” Yugi sobbed out in a breathless whisper. Stars were dancing across his eyes as his body felt flushed and full. The pleasure was building in a steady flow, rising like water inside him. It was slow and relaxed; his body wasn’t even tensing like normal as he approached his end. It just… poured over him, riding through his entire body. 

When it finished, he felt like he was buzzing. He felt content and at ease; tired, but in a lazy, sleepy way. Not the usual post-sex exhaustion that always stemmed from feeling like he had run a mile. He didn’t even mind as Atem continued to thrust in him, working to his own completion. 

It took a minute or two more until Atem was moaning Yugi’s name, pressing his mouth against Yugi’s shoulder in a sloppy kiss. Heat flooded his body as Atem filled him full. It just added to the pleasant warmth that was encompassing his every limb. 

Atem was panting against his shoulder but surprisingly enough, he didn’t pull out of Yugi. He just laid there, breathing and cuddling against Yugi, as they both basked in the afterglow. 

“Thank you,” Yugi said softly after several long minutes had passed. “I just… I missed you.” 

“I know. I’m sorry; I never meant to ignore you. I do plan on making it up to you. Tomorrow will be all about you, my love. Whatever you want to do.” Yugi smiled, snuggling into Atem’s body a little more. It had only been a few minutes but Yugi was surprised to feel Atem begin to harden inside him again. The idea made his own body tingle pleasantly and, curiously, he shifted backwards, making Atem enter him deeper. 

Atem groaned, breathing heavily against Yugi’s shoulder. Yugi pushed back again until he was pressed against Atem’s skin and Atem was seated completely inside him. It felt deliciously good to be connected like that. 

“To make up for your new game obsession,” Yugi began in a teasing, but breathless, voice, “do you think you might be up for going for another round?” He rubbed up against him, shifting his hips so that Atem moved inside him. Atem was definitely fully hard again. 

He groaned and rolled his hips in response. “Gods, yes. I’ll show you I have something far more important to obsess over than some game.” He thrusted again and Yugi hummed with pleasure, tilting his head back to rest against Atem’s chest. 

“And that is?” he asked, meeting Atem’s next thrust. They both let out breathy, shuddering moans.

“You, my love.” Atem pulled back slightly before slamming back into Yugi. “And I will fuck you all night and all day long to show you that you’re my one true obsession.”

Yugi smiled, closing his eyes in ecstasy as Atem thrusted again. He could hardly think straight but he knew enough that he definitely didn’t want Atem to stop. 

“Yes,  _ please. _ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If life goes smoothly this weekend, I'll try to get a little more caught up. I'm like 5 days behind, technically speaking, on prompts.


	17. Valiant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi and Atem have incredible mothers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was like pulling teeth to write. I just couldn't get the words to work. 
> 
> Anyways, this chapter sorta skips around in their relationship but it's pre-marriage. It starts with them dating but will end with them engaged.

##  17: Valiant

The first time it had happened, it was shortly before he and Atem had begun dating. There had been a dream with a woman in it, asking how Atem was doing. Yugi had no idea who she was or what he said in response. He had been incredibly unsettled when he had woken up, but had brushed it off. Weird dreams happened. 

When he and Atem started dating, it happened again. This time, the dream woman spoke about how proud she was and what a good man Atem had become. She had asked Yugi to pass along a message to him but when he woke up, for the life of him, he couldn’t remember what it was. 

Once more, he opted not to say anything. 

The third time, though, was the breaking point. They had been going through a relatively rough time in their relationship. It was hard, sometimes, trying to date while being a semi-public figure in the media. College was stressful as both of them headed into their final years. Yugi was nervous about presenting Spherium at the world gaming conference. Atem was struggling to decide what he really wanted to do with his life. 

And for a few weeks, things were tense between them. They never seriously considered breaking up—Yugi didn’t think that was ever an option that crossed either of their minds—but they weren’t as happy together as usual. 

One night, after a particularly bad fight that had Yugi sleeping on the couch in tears, and Atem most likely not sleeping because he was crying, too, Yugi had the dream again. 

It was vivid this time. He could see the woman much clearer now—she was clearly Ancient Egyptian, wearing a linen dress and gold collar. She had on a golden headdress with a rising cobra sticking out at the forehead. So, she was royalty, too. 

Her eyes were red wine like Atem’s, and her hair that thick glorious black and red that reminded Yugi of the sunset melting into the night’s sky. It was clear then, who she really was.

What on earth did Atem’s mother want with him? (He didn’t bother with the  _ how _ she was communicating with him. If his boyfriend could come back to life from the Field of Reeds, he really wasn’t that surprised at this point that he could be communicated with from there, either)

_ “Please be patient with him. He has trouble expressing himself properly, but he loves you more than anything.”  _

_ “I’d never leave Atem.”  _

_ “He doesn’t always know that, though.”  _

When Yugi woke up, tears still streaming down his face, he immediately went to their bedroom to curl up around Atem with apologies and promises that he would never leave Atem’s side for all eternity. Atem accepted him easily, the two of them kissing and crying together until morning. They blew off classes to spend all day together, talking and cuddling and making sure everything was right between them.

It wasn’t until the next day that he finally told Atem who saw in his dreams. Atem had teared up, falling into his arms as he reminisced on his mother. She had died when Atem was twelve and it was devastating. She had been one of the most courageous women he knew, opting to stand up against her husband even if it would displease him. She did what was right for the people and had a huge heart, filled with kindness. The only person Atem knew who was kinder than his mother was Yugi. 

She had taught Atem nearly everything he knew and was his closest confidant growing up. His mother had always loved him and accepted him, even though he was such a troublesome prince most of the time. He missed her more than anything; she had been one of the reasons he had stayed for so long in the Field of Reeds. But she had also been one of the first ones to encourage him to leave when he got the option from Osiris. 

He always wished he could thank her for that. It was the best decision he had made in his life. 

Yugi had promised if he saw her again in his dreams, he would let her know.

* * *

If there was one thing Yugi was grateful for when it came to his family, it was that they accepted Atem with open arms. He had known his grandfather would care for Atem, since he had been a part of their adventures from the beginning and knew Atem was a separate person from Yugi. But the fact that his mother was also just as accepting of the whole situation was extremely relieving.

It also helped that as soon as his mother heard Atem had no family, she had become determined to fill-in as a mother for him as much as possible. Even before they began dating, Yugi’s mother was always calling to inquire about Atem’s health and always telling Yugi to, “Tell my son-in-law to come visit once and awhile, will you?” He knew Atem was immensely grateful for the acceptance. 

He also appreciated the fact that his mother would check in on Atem and talk to him, helping him through things that sometimes Yugi couldn’t, no matter how hard he tried. Sometimes, Atem just needed a mother to tell him something rather than his boyfriend. 

Walking into his apartment one December afternoon, he realized he had stumbled into one of those conversations. 

Atem and his mother was sitting at their kitchen table, talking quietly. His mother had both of Atem’s hands in hers. Yugi swallowed hard and hung back, unsure if he should turn around and come back later or walk in and interrupt them. 

“It’s okay to be scared of what the future brings, Atem,” his mother was saying. “If you enjoy what you do at KaibaCorp and enjoy dueling, then just keep doing that. Those are _real_ jobs, no matter what you might think. You don’t have to get something in the business world just because you have a degree in it.” 

“But Yugi is working so hard with his game designing career and I feel like I’m not doing nearly enough to help support us, too. With his new position in KaibaCorp, he’s on a quick track to becoming a partner in the firm. We can all see how much Kaiba values his opinions and thoughts and I just… I don’t want to hold him back or make him support both of us.” 

Yugi closed his eyes, ducking out of sight in the entryway and sitting on the ground. He and Atem had had this conversation so many times, it felt like. No matter how many times Yugi told him he just wanted Atem to be happy, it was like Atem didn’t believe him. Like he needed to prove that he needed to make as much money and do as much work as Yugi did. But Yugi didn’t want that. He just wanted Atem to be happy with whatever job he did. 

“Sweetheart,” his mother began gently, “do you think Yugi really cares about that?” 

“I know he doesn’t. But I just feel like I’m dragging him down.” 

“Atem, you do realize that he has similar thoughts, right? He sees you, knowing you came back to life to be with him, that you were this grand pharaoh who saved the world, that you left your eternal heaven and your own family to come here, and he wonders if he’s doing enough to make  _ you _ happy.” Yugi didn’t even have to see Atem’s face to picture the wide eyes and stricken expression. 

“O-of course he’s making me happy! I could imagine nothing else that makes me happier than being at his side.” 

“Then, dear, don’t you think that’s all Yugi cares about? You don’t need to worry about your job, so long as you’re happy with what you’re doing. Are you happy as a game tester?” 

“I am. I enjoy it a lot.” 

“And the modeling and being a spokesperson for KaibaCorp? And being a competitive duelist? Do you like doing all of that?” 

“I love dueling,” he admitted. “And I don’t mind the modeling. It’s fun to dress up. I don’t know how much I enjoy being a spokesperson but it’s the thing that makes me feel the most connected to my old life, in some strange way. Giving press conferences or announcing new items… It reminds me of being a pharaoh in some strange way. So I don’t really want to give that up, either.” 

“Is there anything you’d rather do in life? Would you like to design games with Yugi? Or maybe be an Egyptologist? A professor? Run the game shop? Anything like that?” 

Atem didn’t answer immediately, thinking it over. Finally, he said, “No. I don’t want to design games. I just want to play them. I’ve seen what Yugi does and I just… don’t enjoy the inner mechanics like that. I love watching him create a new game but I could never do it. As for being a professor or an Egyptologist… no. Seeing things about my past like that makes me... sick. It’s not a pleasant feeling to feel like an artifact out of time. Even when I studied Egyptology in college, I think I hated more than I loved it. I needed to see it—to see how the world views my culture now. But it made me feel raw the entire time.” He hesitated and then said, “I wouldn’t mind running the game shop, but I don’t think I want to do that right now. However, when Grandpa wants to retire, I would be happy to take it over for him.” 

“I'm sure he'd love that, too. But for now, Atem, just worry about being happy. If you want to change jobs because your current one isn’t making you happy, then do so. But if you want to change jobs because you think you should support Yugi more, don’t do it. Yugi is creating games because he loves it and he’s blessed to get a good paycheck. He is more than happy to use that money to make sure you’re both happy, too, because at the end of the day, the only thing he cares about? You. You came back to him and that matters more than anything.” 

Atem took a deep breath and Yugi was sure he was nodding. 

“Anything you want to add, my son?” his mother called and Yugi flinched. He heard Atem mumble a confused, “What? Yugi’s here?” and he walked around the corner, rubbing his head sheepishly. 

“I didn’t want to interrupt.” His mother gave him an amused smile, raising an eyebrow, while Atem's surprised look melted into something much softer and he smiled at him. Yugi walked over and kissed his cheek before wrapping his arms around Atem’s neck.

“Mama is right. But even if I didn’t make enough money, I don’t care. I would stay with you even if we’re dirt poor, or if we become as rich as Kaiba. The only thing that ever matters to me is that you’re happy and you’re here. I’m the luckiest man in the world that you came back to me so all I want is to make you happy. No matter what.” He nuzzled Atem’s neck. He could feel Atem relax, finally nodding. It felt like he had finally accepted Yugi's words and understood.

His mother groaned. “Even if your words are right, I don’t want to see it in actions. Be super affectionate when I’m not around. But since I am here, how about you treat your mother to dinner?” She gave a catlike grin and Yugi rolled his eyes. 

“Yes, Mother.” 

* * *

The night after he proposed to Atem, he received a visit from his mother in his dreams. Yugi suspicioned that she couldn’t stay long; it was probably taxing to cross dimensions. She didn’t say much.

_ "Tell him I’m proud. Of both him and you. He couldn’t have chosen a better spouse. Tell him he has my blessings.”  _

If Atem’s mother said more, Yugi couldn’t remember come morning. Still, after waking Atem up with gentle kisses, he relayed her message. He was not expecting to watch his new fiancé fall apart, but Atem did, collapsing into Yugi’s arms, sobbing. Yugi waited patiently, simply stroking his hair and letting his lover cry. 

After he had cried it out, Atem finally began to explain. “I was always scared my family would reject me for marrying you. For going against tradition and marrying someone outside my race and religion, but also someone I could never have a child with. I worried they would hate me for my choices.”

“But she doesn’t,” Yugi confirmed. Atem nodded, clenching Yugi’s shirt. 

“No. She approves. She blessed our marriage.” 

“Will you tell me about your mother? She keeps coming to me in these dreams and I feel awful because I don’t even know her name.” 

Atem laughed wetly, nodding. “Her name is Neithhotep. She was my father’s second wife, the one he actually picked to marry. She had been a priestess and he had fallen in love with her dancing and looks.”

“Your father had five wives, right?” 

“Yeah. His Great Royal Wife was his half-sister. Then my mother. His next two wives were foreign brides sent for treaties. And then his niece was his fifth wife. I was my mother’s only child and fourth oldest. My two older brothers died in the wars before the Millennium Items were made. My younger sister died when she was ten from an illness, while my youngest brother died when he was eight. He had a lot of genetic problems due to inbreeding and was always sickly.” 

“And your older…?”

“Sister,” Atem clarified. “She was killed by her mother before I was born. Her mother feared the invaders coming so close to the palace and killed her and then killed herself, knowing that if the palace walls were breached, a fate worse than death awaited them, especially since they were foreign.” 

“That's horrible..." Atem nodded. "So you actually grew up with siblings.” Atem nodded again. “How did your mother react to the children that weren't hers?”

“She was always loving towards them. The Great Royal Wife wasn’t that kind, and when both of her oldest sons died, it left me as Crown Prince. She always resented me but my mother was… a courageous woman.” Yugi tilted his head in a wordless question. “She killed the Great Royal Wife to protect me. My aunt despised me and went out of her way to mistreat me. It was why my mother was so kind to the other women’s children; after all, even though my mother wasn’t the Great Royal Wife, she was clearly my father’s favorite and since her son was Crown Prince, it gave her considerable influence.” 

“How did she kill your aunt? What happened?” 

“My aunt was trying to poison me. My mother found out about the plot and revealed it to my father. While he was going to punish his sister in some fashion, it wasn’t enough or fast enough. My mother was extremely protective to those she loved. One time, she and I went to the town to see the markets and someone tried to rob us. She pulled out a dagger and stabbed both men in the face, stopping them. Or another time, my father always told us a story about how my mother dressed in warriors clothes and kept a bow and arrow always at her side when the invaders were coming. She was going to protect every child in the palace if it was the last thing she did.” 

Yugi smiled. He could see where Atem had gotten his fierceness from, then. And his bravery and courage. Neithhotep sounded incredible. 

“Anyways, for my aunt. My mother ambushed her in her bedroom at night. She said that the gods looked down on those that killed children and then she forced her to drink her own poison. They couldn’t prove what happened so my father didn’t punish my mother, but my mother confessed it to me before she died.” 

Good lord, Yugi winced internally. He was suddenly extremely glad Atem’s mother approved of him, too. Osiris help him if he ever hurt Atem. He might have a vengeful Egyptian queen spirit coming at him and murdering him in his sleep. 

“It sounds bad,” Atem admitted, seemingly reading Yugi’s face. “But she truly was a lovely woman. She would fill the palace halls with songs and dancing. She learned how to heal and spent hours and hours with my younger siblings when they fell ill. She would go out to see the people and treat their wounds when she could, or bring them food and toys to the children. She treated the servants well and never hurt a fly unless they threatened harm against her family. She was… a lot like you, I would think,” Atem admitted. “So kind and loving but unwilling to back down when something is wrong.” 

“How did she die?” Yugi whispered. Atem took a deep breath. 

“Childbirth. She was only seventeen when she had me, so twenty-nine wasn’t really that old to have more children. But it had been a risky pregnancy in general and when she finally gave birth, it killed her. The baby was a stillborn, too.” 

“Holy shit, Atem,” Yugi breathed, looking down at his fiancé. “I’m so sorry.” 

“Every woman in Ancient Egypt had to make that courageous choice. It was a battle every woman faced and unfortunately, my mother did not make it through. But we lived happily when she was there.” 

“She sounds like an incredible woman.” 

Atem smiled, nodding. “She was.” 

* * *

They were meeting at a cafe to give his mother the news of their engagement. Of course, though, Yugi was running late. He was ready to kill Kaiba for holding him up.

“Yeah, babe, I’ll be there in just a minute. I’m running around the corner now,” Yugi told Atem over the phone. “Is Mama there?” 

“Yes. She’s impatiently waiting for you,” Atem responded, a teasing lilt in his voice. “She said she can’t believe you would be so rude as to make your poor mother wait in this cold. She thought she raised you better than this.” 

“Oh, ha ha. Tell her she can go toe-to-toe with Seto Kaiba and tell him that!” 

Atem chuckled and Yugi could hear him start to say something to his mother but he cut off suddenly and through the phone, Yugi could hear a muffled, “Aiko! Aiko Mutou, is that you?” 

Yugi rounded the corner, seeing his mother and fiancé standing outside the cafe doors. In front of them was another woman, someone that apparently knew his mother. Catching Atem’s eye, he hung up his phone, heading towards them. He could hear the woman speak as he came forward.

“Hello Michiko,” his mother greeted, smiling politely. Her posture was uncharacteristically tense. “It’s been years. I haven’t seen you since Yugi’s freshmen orientation.” 

“Yes, it has been years. Ushio remembers Yugi fondly.” Both he and Atem flinched. This was Ushio’s  _ mother _ ?! “Is this Yugi? He looks a lot darker than I remember.” 

His mother forced a laugh. “No, no. This is Atem, Yugi’s boyfriend. Or if that ring on his finger is any indication, new fiancé.” His mother turned towards Atem with a smirk. Atem blushed and nodded. “Ha! I thought so! You two aren't slick at all. Going to New York City over Christmas. I knew Yugi was going to pop the question.” 

“Haa… we both did.” His mother laughed naturally, shaking her head. 

“I would expect nothing different from you two.” 

“He’s  _ gay? _ ” Ushio’s mother gasped out, looking horrified. “And you’re okay with this?” Yugi rushed the rest of the walk, unwilling to let Atem deal with this alone. He slid up next to his fiancé, slipping an arm around his waist. 

“Mrs. Tetsu; how wonderful to see you again. How is Ushio doing?” Yugi asked with fake sugar-sweetness. The woman looked at him and then Atem, before focusing on the hand perched on Atem’s waist, and then disregarded him completely, turning back towards his mother. Atem tensed in his arms.

“My son and my future son-in-law are both incredible men,” his mother began with steel in her voice, “and  _ of course _ I accept them. I love both boys with all my heart and I’m so proud of what both of them have accomplished. Yugi is a top designer for KaibaCorp and Atem is a top game tester there, too. Yugi is the King of Games and Atem is the Japanese Duel Monsters champion, second only to Yugi. Both of them are spokespeople for the company and personal friends of Seto Kaiba himself.  _ Why _ wouldn’t I be proud of them?” 

“They are shaming your family!” she hissed. 

Yugi was about to grab his mother’s arm and tell her not to worry about it; he and Atem dealt with enough homophobia to know it wasn’t worth fighting about constantly. Close-minded people would always exist and they didn’t need to ruin their day to come down to her level. 

Except his mother squared her shoulders and got that look in her eyes that made Yugi hesitate and keep his hand firmly on Atem’s waist. She looked like she was out for blood and Yugi didn’t want to get in the middle of her and her victim. 

“Oh? Disgrace my name? Like your son did  _ yours _ ?” she asked with false lightness. “How he used to extort children because he was bigger than them in school? He once beat Yugi black and blue and let me tell you,  _ Tetsu _ , I have never forgotten that. A mother never forgets or  _ forgives _ those that hurt their children. So before you come at me for having a wonderful son who loves his incredible fiancé with all his heart—something you think is so awful—maybe you should remember how shittily you raised your own son. Once he can come and give my son an apology for his behavior all those years ago, then we’ll talk.” 

Michiko Tetsu looked aghast at Yugi’s mother’s words. He felt incredibly proud of his mom, though. “Now, get out of my sight. I won’t have you ruin this incredible announcement with your close-minded negativity. I want to go have a nice lunch with my  _ sons _ ,” she stressed the plurality, her arm wrapping around Atem’s shoulders, “and listen as to how they both proposed to each other.” There was nothing Ushio’s mother could say in response. She simply huffed and whirled around, storming off. 

His mother snorted in derision. “Come at my boys like that with me around. I don’t think so. What a fool.” 

“Mama,” Yugi began before enveloping her in a hug. “You’re incredible.” Atem joined the hug, thanking her so softly. She laughed, waving off both of their words. 

“No matter what anyone says, you two are my sons. And if they can’t see how amazing you two are, they’re not worth being around. Now, c’mon. I want lunch and to hear this story. I’m sure it’s going to be a disaster.”

After eating and telling the story, Yugi had to slip away to call Kaiba for something. When he came back, he saw Atem showing off the ring to his mother. She had one hand on his other hand, patting it softly while she examined his ring hand in the air. Yugi smiled, wrapping his arms around Atem’s neck as she looked at the ring.

“I’m so proud of you two,” his mother said lightly. “No mother could be as pleased as I am to have you both in my life, or to welcome you into my family, Atem.”

It was sudden and Yugi couldn’t really describe the sensation, but it was like he felt hands on his shoulders. A chill went down his spine.

_ “As am I, Yugi. I could not be prouder of both of you and cannot wait to welcome you into my family, too, for when you finally arrive here with Atem at your side. I am so proud of you both.” _

The feeling faded but Yugi still gasped, looking down in awe at Atem. He looked worried. “What’s wrong, Yugi?” 

“Your mother,” he told him, breathless. “She… she agrees with Mama. She is proud of both of us, too.” Atem’s eyes went soft, tears welling up in them. 

“Of course she would be!” His mother declared, squeezing Atem’s hand. Yugi looked down at his mother and was struck with how fierce she could be. “She would be a fool not to be! How could someone not be proud of you two?” 

Both women were so strong and incredible in different ways, Yugi realized. They were valiant women; courageous, kind, protective, determined, and above all, always loving and looking out for their sons. 

“Well,” Yugi said, smiling and meeting Atem’s gaze, “then we’re both incredibly lucky to have such amazing mothers like you two.” 

“That’s right!” His mother retorted, huffing with faux annoyance. “We’d have to be amazing to have sons like you two!” 

He swore he could hear a richly velvet voice agree in his ear, the sound like breath on the wind. Yugi smiled softly, glad his future mother-in-law approved, too. He’d hate to be on either mother’s bad side. They were both terrifying, but absolutely incredible, women. 

He and Atem were two very lucky men indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I think if I keep up with prompts every day, I'll get the final one up by New Years Eve. That's the goal at least haha 
> 
> Thank you all for reading, too <3


	18. Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang plays the new Monster World VR game that Yugi created and things are going great until Atem and Yugi fall down a hole. Yugi doesn't take Atem being unconscious very well at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry late Christmas :) So this advent is technically over but this story isn't done and I'm determined to finish it. So I'mma finish it if it's the last thing I do. I plan to have it done by New Years. I mean, we only have like six prompts left to go. I got this. 
> 
> I hope. 
> 
> Anyways, Yugi and Atem are married in this chapter.

##  18: Adventure

“Ryou just messaged me. He’s on his way over now to our meeting spot here.”

“And Kaiba? Is he coming?” Yugi shrugged, sighing. 

“I’m not sure. I texted him our party’s code so he could join the quests with us, and Mokuba, too, but I’m not sure if they’re going to join or not. He never responded back.”

Joey sighed, sitting on the ground and dragging the tip of his sword back and forth on the dirt. “I was hoping the whole gang could be here. Since Téa is supposed to come and all.” 

Atem looked like he was going to say something but thought better of it, shifting back to stand in Yugi’s arms. Yugi instantly wrapped an arm around his husband, enjoying the feel of the costume that clung so nicely to all of Atem’s assets. He was very glad that Atem’s avatar looked identical to him. It would be so much harder to fawn over his avatar in the VR world if it didn't look like Atem. 

“Hey guys, I made it! And look who I found on the way over!” Ryou grinned and pushed Téa in front of him. She laughed and waved, accepting all the cheers and hugs with relish from the group. 

When they finally stopped, she turned to Ryou and Yugi. “This is amazing, guys. I almost feel like I’m here with you even though I’m halfway around the world right now. You guys did incredible on this game.” 

“That’s all Yugi!” Ryou responded cheerfully. “I may have been the lead designer and story writer, but Yugi was the one who really put this to life with Kaiba. He’s a mad wizard at this VR stuff.” Yugi blushed, trying to wave off their compliments, but he did feel secretly pleased that they liked his game. 

Monster World had been his grandest project yet, even when comparing it to Spherium II. It had taken him two years to program the game fully, even though the code had been something he had been working on since he began his programming classes in college. But it had always been one of his dreams to translate the tabletop Monster World RPG into a VR RPG. Kaiba had been fully on board with the idea and had helped him immensely with creating the game, making it compatible with the KaibaCorp VR Duel Disk-Headset.

He had asked Ryou to help him design the game and the story mode, too. In that way, it did make it less taxing than Spherium II since Yugi wasn’t responsible for everything. But after all their hard work, the game had finally been released. 

And if the reviews, pre-orders, and first weekend sales were anything to go by, Monster World VR was turning out to be a big hit.

“All right, so I figured since we’re all different levels, we could start on a mid-level quest to encompass all of us. Téa, Tristan, and Duke are all low leveled, so you guys can get the boss kills and level up like crazy. Joey, Atem, Ryou, and I have all been playing in our downtime so we’re a little higher leveled." That was an understatement. They were actually rather high leveled, he and Atem especially. "We won’t take any kills, though. We’re just there for back-up.” 

“No way!” Tristan exclaimed, pouting. “Let’s go on a hard quest! If we have you guys, we got this in the bag!” Yugi hesitated, looking around his group. Ryou and Téa shared his apprehension while Atem, Joey, and even Duke looked amped for a more dangerous mission. 

Finally Téa sighed and shrugged. “Whatever. Let’s do this and make it epic. The hardest one that you have—that you know we’ll actually win!” Yugi nodded, pulling up his quest menu. He scrolled through it until he found the mission he was looking for. With a smirk, he nudged Ryou, who hissed when he saw it. 

“Yugi, no!” 

“Yugi, yes,” he responded with a grin. “They wanted hard. Let’s give them hard.” Ryou groaned while Joey and Tristan cheered. Even Atem looked excited. 

Of course, considering it was rare for their entire group to get together and play games like this, no wonder everyone was excited. A more intense quest would make them play together longer and bring an extra level of thrill to the game. Yugi was okay with that, even if it would be more challenging and definitely way too much for the lower-leveled characters to fight on their own. 

He clicked on the quest and the world melted around them, reforming into the new lands that applied to their new adventure. 

“So, this is called the Signer quest. We have to defeat six dragons to make the seventh and most powerful dragon appear. But after we defeat them, they’ll join our sides. Actually, whoever KOs the dragon gets the Signer mark permanently after that and can summon the dragon from here on out in the game.” Yugi grinned, shifting to the balls of his feet excitedly. “Then, if we beat this quest, it’ll unlock the Dark Signer quest. That’s when we use the seven dragons to defeat the seven Earthbound Immortals and the evil Crimson Devil. It’ll be fun!” 

Duke was the one that opted to respond. “Sounds like it. After what you've made, if you're saying it's fun, it will be. Let’s go, then. Lead the way, Yugi.” 

“Wait, wait, what is everyone?” Tristan asked, pointing at Atem for an example. “I'm a Magic Gunman. White Wizard for Ryou; Warrior for Joey; Téa is a... ?”

“Magician,” Téa supplied. 

“Thief,” Duke said, pointing to himself.

“I’m a Beast Tamer!” Yugi told him. At Tristan’s blank look, Yugi elaborated, “It means I can convert enemies to our side. I already have a few from previous quests; I can only have six on me at one time.” 

“And I’m an Illusionist,” Atem finished. “I can create images and mental traps to attack enemies with. I also got an ability to summon different magician friends, so I have four magicians I can summon to help me, too.” 

Tristan nodded, seemingly pleased with the explanation. He gestured for them to continue moving, so Joey took the lead, loudly proclaiming he knew where to take them. 

He didn’t. They wandered in circles, fighting enemy spawn after enemy spawn. After the third circle around a forest, Yugi waved his Marshmallon and Winged Kuriboh back to his side and reached out, halting Joey from going further. 

“This way, Joey.” He pointed towards the left. “Kuriboh saw the pathway from over the treetops.” 

“I knew that! I was just lettin Tristan and Téa level up and stuff.” Yugi gave him a patronizing grin and nodded. “Ah, hush up!” He gave Yugi a noogie before walking off in the direction Kuriboh was leading them. 

They found their first dragon almost immediately once they were on the right path. It was sleeping on the ground, surrounded by plants. As soon as the party stepped into the pathway, the black dragon poked its head up, glaring at them. It flared its beautiful wings, covered in large rose petals, and stood, roaring. It’s spiked, thorned tail thrashed against the ground in warning. 

“Yeah, this is what I’m talking about! Hiyaaa!” Joey let out a war cry and rushed forward, his sword held over his head. Tristan was hot on his heels, shooting magical laser shots from behind Joey. 

Everyone grimaced as the dragon’s tail lashed out, catching Joey and Tristan in one fell swoop and sent them flying. “Yikes. Maybe we should be a bit more coordinated,” Ryou suggested. Yugi and Téa nodded. 

“Téa and Ryou, you two should provide back-up since you’re both long-range. Atem can summon his spirits and provide extra coverage. Duke, you can dart in and out when the dragon is distracted and cut down its health points. We’ll let Joey and Tristan continue to be the distraction. And I’ll bring one of my own friends out to help defeat this.” With the plan set, the group spread out. 

“Timaeus, come forth!” A miniature version of the green dragon rose from the ground. It nuzzled Yugi’s hand, wanting to be pet, before it turned to Atem and waddled over to him, nudging the magic user. He smiled and ran his hand up and down Timaeus’s neck. 

Téa raised an eyebrow. Yugi laughed at the picture Atem and Timaeus made. “Atem and I sometimes just come in here to play with the pets instead of questing. Timaeus really likes him.” After the dragon had gotten his fair share of petting, he turned towards the Black Rose Dragon and zoomed off, shooting blasts of water. 

Atem was next, summoning the Dark Magician Girl and the Dark Magician to his side. They were tiny, toon versions of the characters, both spirits that were missing legs and having ghostly tails instead. The two began to circle around the dragon, attacking, while Atem stood back and began shooting spells to disorient the dragon. 

Joey and Tristan continued to get smacked around (keeping Ryou rather busy with constantly healing them) while Duke weaved in and out between people to slice at the dragon with his dagger. However, it was Téa that shot the killing blast. The Black Rose Dragon gave a cry and then exploded into a red light that shot down onto Téa’s hand, leaving a mark behind. 

The group as a whole felt themselves level up, some gaining more levels than others. They collected the monster drops and loot, finishing up their first battle. 

“Whoop! One down, six more to go! Let’s do this guys!” 

* * *

Dragon number three was when Mokuba and Kaiba dropped into their team. Mokuba was a Bard while Kaiba was an Enchanter. While Mokuba played songs on a flute to up their stats, Kaiba used surrounding objects to throw at the current dragon—the Ancient Fairy Dragon—to weaken it.

Duke had defeated their second dragon, the Life Stream Dragon, and gained its power. As for this third dragon, Mokuba stole the kill right at the end from Joey, taking the Ancient Fairy Dragon as his new summon, too. 

Their next dragon, the Black-Winged Dragon, was a tougher opponent that had Yugi summoning a second dragon. It was the Red Eyes Black Dragon and Joey nearly had a fit when he saw his favorite dragon at Yugi’s side. 

“It was a new summon I found a few nights ago,” Yugi explained sheepishly. Joey continued to glare at him throughout the entire fight. At least until the dragon was defeated and Joey had a new target he could direct his pouting to. In this case, Tristan took the kill and Joey's whining. 

Dragons five and six appeared together much to the group’s horror (besides Yugi, Ryou, and Kaiba who all knew what the quest entailed). They were the strongest dragons and Joey and Kaiba both fought over trying to get the final kill. It was a difficult battle, though; enough so that Ryou had to revive Joey twice and Tristan three times. 

Atem had to summon his final two magician spirits: the Magician of Black Chaos and the Silent Magician. Yugi was also forced to summon his final two dragon companions, the Blue Eyes White Dragon (which had Kaiba apoplectic when he saw it) and Gandora, the Dragon of Destruction. 

Atem nearly had the final kill but was nice enough to freeze the Stardust Dragon for Kaiba to take the kill. Ryou also had the final killshot on the Red Dragon Archfiend but Joey swooped in right at the last second and stole the kill. 

“You’re lucky there is no friendly fire. If there was, I would roast you alive,” Ryou grumped out, pouting as the dragon’s mark appeared on Joey’s hand. “I wanted a dragon.” 

Yugi nudged him and smiled. “Don’t worry. You can get the next one. Think of how cool that’ll look, too! Summoning that flaming beast will make you legendary.” Ryou gave a laugh, nodding. 

“You’re right. I’ll be the most badass White Wizard in all of Monster World. Come on, let’s go get that Crimson Dragon!” 

When they made it to the sacred summoning ground, the six members of their party who had the Signer marks had to lift up their arms to draw forth the dragon. 

If Yugi was being honest, the Crimson Dragon was one of his and Ryou’s most beautiful creations. It was slender, like a snake, but it had flaming stick-like wings, almost skeletal in appearance. It was nothing but pure flame, though. No body, no actual wings, no teeth or claws; nothing but pure molten energy. They could feel the heat radiating from its body. 

“Amazing…” Téa breathed, staring up at the creature in awe. Tristan and Duke both made similar sounds. 

“Let’s take it down!!” Joey was the one to charge in first, again, like always. But this time, the creature was too strong. 

“Joey, no!” Yugi reached out to stop him but was too slow. His best friend was slashed across the chest by the dragon’s claws, sending him to his knees. 

“Joey!!” Their entire team rushed to his aid but everything happened in a blur after that. Yugi wasn’t sure what happened, exactly. He was reaching towards Joey, there was screaming, Téa went flying backwards beside him, Atem was yelling, Kaiba grabbed him and threw him backwards, and then there was a lot of earth shaking and rocks. 

And then… and then the ground was cracking open and a huge fissure split the earth. Yugi was sitting up enough to see what happened and it was like a movie playing in slow motion. Atem was shoving Ryou out of the way from the hole but he didn’t move fast enough, and then he was the one falling down the crevice. Yugi watched Atem’s body disappear into the blackness and it felt like his heart stopped. 

He knew, deep down, it was only a game and that no true harm would come to his husband. But in that moment, it was like his world stopped. He couldn’t hear anything around him, couldn’t see anything except Atem’s falling body, couldn’t think about anything except saving his husband. His heart thudded in his chest and Yugi simply  _ moved _ on pure instinct. He dived after Atem, ignoring Ryou and Kaiba’s shouts for him to stop. 

He managed to grab Atem around the waist, holding him to his chest, as they plunged into icy waters below them. Before he lost consciousness, he was horrified to feel his hands slip from Atem’s body.

* * *

Yugi blinked his eyes open slowly, feeling like his mind was in a fog. How he hadn’t died from the fall was beyond him. He should really be waking up back home, in the real world, after being booted from the game. But he wasn’t.

The rush of memories came back and Yugi sat up, panicked. “Atem? Atem! Atem! Where are you?” He stumbled over himself to stand, wincing as his leg nearly gave way instantly. Yugi groaned as he fell back on his ass. He pulled up his status menu, taking inventory of his wounds. It looked like his ankle was sprained, so until he found a healer, his walking ability would be limited. Luckily, that was the only real damage. Everything else was just bruises and cuts. 

As well as the fact he was freezing. That was delightful. 

He groaned, chanting a few spells to summon his dragons back to his side. All four appeared in front of him, as well as Marshmallon and Winged Kuriboh. “Timaeus, Blue Eyes, go search the surrounding area for Atem. I need to find him. Red Eyes, I need your flames to warm me up, but then I want you to go find our team and let them know where I am.” Timaeus and the Blue Eyes White Dragon took off at Yugi’s command, while the Red Eyes Black Dragon lit a small fire to let Yugi warm up. 

Once he was dry and his body temperature back up to normal, the Red Eyes took off up the cliff to find the rest of their friends. 

“Gandora, help me walk. I have to find Atem.” Gandora let out a whine, clearly wishing Yugi to remain sitting, but Yugi was stubborn. He stood, wobbling on his good leg, but began to hobble off, following the river he had washed up from. Gandora trotted along beside him, steadying him slightly. Kuriboh flitted around his head nervously, clearly worried about Yugi’s health. 

Thankfully, Timaeus let out a cry that had Yugi stumbling towards him in a rush. The Blue Eyes found Yugi and steadied his other side, helping him get to Atem’s side faster. 

And there was his husband, lying prone on the ground. He wasn’t moving. 

_ It’s just a game. It’s just a game. It’s just a game. This isn’t real. Atem is fine. Atem is fine. This isn’t real. _

Yet no matter how many times he repeated it, Yugi couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks or the panicked breathing. This was his husband and he was hurt and just  _ lying there _ and Yugi didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t lose Atem again. 

He made it to Atem’s side and scooped him up into his arms, shaking and doing his best to hold back sobs. “A-Atem, darling, please wake up. C’mon, babe, wake up. Please get up.” He gently tapped his cheek but Atem didn't stir in the slightest.

It was just a game but at the same time, it was way too real. Yugi felt this strike something deep inside him and felt as his innermost fears began to bubble up to the surface. He couldn’t breathe. 

“Please, Atem, please. Please wake up. Please.” 

It was like a nightmare. Yugi felt himself slipping into his darkest memories; he was back there, kneeling on the ground in a dark temple, watching the love of his life walk away. Feeling like he had killed him, forced him to leave. Watching the doors slide close behind his king, forcing a smile on his face as his heart shattered. 

Yugi’s breath hitched and he let out a sob. “Atem! Please, Atem, please… Please!” He wasn’t even sure what he was begging for. He wasn’t sure why this was destroying him inside so much, but it was. Yugi couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t handle Atem unconscious like this, slipping away from him just like before. 

He couldn’t have him walk out of his life again. Yugi wouldn’t let it happen. He’d  _ die _ before he let Atem leave him again. This time, if he wanted to walk through those doors to the Other Side, Yugi was going to follow him no matter what Atem said. 

“Yu… Yugi?” The voice was hoarse but it snapped Yugi out of his spiraling sobs, making him open his eyes and give a relieved whimper. “What’s wrong?” 

“You’re okay,” Yugi told him, trying to steady his breathing. He was still hiccuping from his tears. “Gods, y-you’re o-o-okay.” 

Atem looked perplexed for a few seconds but he seemed to realize that Yugi’s tears were not normal. And that was why he loved his husband because instead of probing and asking why Yugi was overreacting from a video game, he simply reached up and hugged him. “I’m here, Yugi. I’m not going to leave you. Ever.” 

Yugi let out a sob, unable to hold it back. “I-I-I’m sor-sorry. I don’t—I don’t mean to b-b-be like this but… but… you were—-” 

“Shh, shh, it’s okay. Don’t apologize; I understand. But I’m here, my love. I’m right here, solid, in your arms. I’m not going to go anywhere. I’m not going to leave your side for all eternity. Remember? We promised that.” Yugi nodded, unable to say anything. 

“Do you want to breathe together? Or do you just want me to talk?” Atem asked him, stroking Yugi’s hair. 

“J-just talk. I want to hear your voice.” 

“Okay. I thought your dragon was beautiful. You and Ryou have done so amazing on this game. Even the pain reception. It’s not too much but enough to feel sore; to make it real. That heat, though, from the dragon! It was incredible, partner. I’m so proud of what you’ve made. And all of our friends are enjoying it, too. Even Kaiba is playing, so you know it’s a great game.” 

Yugi felt his heart begin to fall into its normal rhythm. Everything was okay. Atem was there. Atem was real. Atem was  _ alive _ .

“I love you,” Yugi whispered. “I love you so much.” 

“I love you too, Yugi.” Atem seemed to feel him calming. “Do you want to talk about it? What triggered that reaction?” 

Yugi took a few more deep breaths before he trusted himself to speak. “I saw you… just lying there. And all I could think was that you were… you were dead again. And then I remembered the last time I saw you die and leave me and I… I don’t want you to go away again. If you want to go back to the Field of Reeds, I’m going with you this time. I won’t let you leave me.” 

Atem cupped Yugi’s cheeks, tilting his face down so he could reach up and kiss him. He kissed him long, gently, and deeply. He kissed him until Yugi felt like he was seeing stars; all he could think about was Atem. He could taste Atem, smell Atem, feel Atem, see Atem, hear Atem—Atem had his every sense and it was perfect. 

He broke away and wiped the tear residue remaining on Yugi’s cheeks. “I will never leave your side. Anything we do, we do together. Until the end of time.” He didn’t wait for Yugi to respond, leaning back up and kissing him again. 

Yugi wasn’t sure how long they sat there kissing, but it was long enough that all the traces of panic and anxiety eased from his chest. It was long enough that he could breathe normally and think logically again. He knew Atem was there and it grounded him to the present. 

“Wow, seriously?” The annoyed tone of Joey had Yugi and Atem pulling apart with embarrassed grins. “Here we are, worried sick about finding you two, and it just turns out that you’ve run off to go canoodle! What the hell, guys?” 

“It’s… not what it looks like?” Atem tried with a cringe. No one in the group believed it. 

However, ever the perceptive one, Téa seemed to notice Yugi’s red-rimmed eyes and his death grip on Atem’s back and seemed to process that there was something underlying going on. She waved Joey’s rants away, rolling her eyes at him. “They’re the married ones; let them do what they want. After all, this  _ is _ Yugi’s game. If he programmed spots to go be alone with his husband, well, he deserves to use them!” 

Yugi gave a sheepish laugh, not feeling like correcting Téa’s assumption that this was a spot that he could do, ahem,  _ other things _ with his husband. He technically couldn’t. Those spots  _ had _ been programmed into the game, of course, though they were very difficult to find for other users. But this particular place wasn’t one of those spots. 

Which was probably a good thing. Yugi wouldn’t have liked getting caught by all his friends doing his husband. 

“So did we defeat the dragon?” Atem opted to ask, working on redirecting the conversation away from them. “Or after Ryou heals us, are we going back up there to give it another go?” 

“We killed him!” Joey declared proudly, puffing out his chest. “It was hard. And Ryou had to revive almost everyone. But we finally did it!” 

Yugi scanned their arms, trying to see who won. Ryou held up his arm, the crimson mark glowing all the way down the front of his hand to his elbow. It was in the shape of a dragon. “I did,” Ryou said proudly. 

“So, we up for doing the next quest?” Duke asked the group as Ryou healed Yugi and Atem. “Or are we calling it a night?” 

Yugi caught Téa glancing over at them worriedly; she could definitely sense there had been something else going on when the group wasn’t there. Giving an exaggerated yawn, she said, “I think we should call it a night. I’m beat. Remember, it is like 14 hours difference over here. So I know it’s like 5:00 over there, but it’s like 3 in the morning here. So call it a night?” 

“Oh shit, yeah. Sorry, Téa. We’ll have to time this out better next time.” 

“Meh, it’s Friday. No biggie. Anyways, don’t do the next quest without me! I want to use my dragon, too. I’ll see you guys later?” There were choruses of agreement all around her, making Téa smile. “Awesome. Later, guys.” Before she logged out, though, she flashed Yugi a look that asked,  _ Are you okay? _

He gave her a grateful smile, nodding, and mouthing, “Thank you.” She nodded and smiled back before logging out. From there, everyone else said their farewells and logged out after her. 

Back in the real world, Yugi pulled off his microphone piece and headset. He took a deep breath, leaning back against the couch. 

Only to open his eyes, startled, when a weight settled on his lap. “I thought I would show you how real and alive I am. Just in case you needed more convincing,” Atem told him, smirking flirtatiously. The look sent fire flooding Yugi’s veins. 

“I think I’d like that,” he admitted. 

“Good. I’ll make us both come alive.” And his husband proceeded to do just that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone had a nice Christmas (for those that celebrate it)! This chapter was another excruciating one to write. I had the prompt idea nailed down pretty solidly but like... I was missing the plot. It finally slammed into me midway through the chapter as I was struggling through this haha


	19. Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi is nervous about the fancy KaibaCorp dinner he has to attend. Atem decides to make a game out of it to help ease his nerves. Yugi can't refuse a challenge, especially when there is such a tantalizing prize: Atem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warning: this is another smut chapter! 
> 
> Yugi and Atem are back to being married in this one.

##  19: Night

He adjusted his tie for the umpteenth time, making his husband frown at him. Yugi knew he had a horrible habit of fidgeting when he was nervous. Atem reached over and seized his hand, entwining their fingers together so that he couldn't mess with his tie anymore.

“It's just a party. We've gone to these several times since we've been working at KaibaCorp. Why are you so nervous about this one?” Atem asked him softly, leading them into the fancy KaibaCorp convention center. Mokuba was at the door, schmoozing up to guests (which were all potential investors or current shareholders or other persons of interest that the Kaiba brothers were eyeing for one reason or another). He gave Atem and Yugi a more genuine smile, calling out a friendly, “You guys look good! You should dress up more often!”

Yugi grinned and, wrapping a possessive arm around Atem's waist, called over his shoulder, “No way! I already fight off enough people for my husband; I'd have to carry a stick around if he got any more beautiful!” Yugi loved the way Atem blushed but smiled so radiantly at the praise. 

It wasn’t that Atem was particularly modest about his looks; he  _ was _ a model, after all, and knew he looked good in just about anything. Most of the time, he would strut around like a peacock, flaunting his body or fashion style or good looks. It was why he wore such eye-catching and somewhat outrageous clothing: leather pants, mesh shirts, lace blouses, crop tops that showed off his pierced navel—he wanted people to notice him. When Atem had to be the center of attention or wanted to impress others, then he made sure to dress the part.

But it didn’t mean that Yugi still couldn’t charm the pants off of him (literally, as in, Atem would willingly drop his pants for Yugi at any time, any place) by a few well-placed, genuine compliments. Other people could tell Atem he looked good, or hot, or sexy and depending on the situation, he might thank them politely or respond with a cheeky, “I know,” but when it came to Yugi doing it—well, that was a different story entirely. Yugi could, and had, turned Atem into fumbling, aroused, blushing dork more than once with his flirtations. 

And tonight, Atem did look particularly ravishing. He was wearing a lace top that if Yugi looked too carefully at, he could definitely catch glimpses of Atem’s luscious skin underneath the fine lace, and at the perfect angle, even a perky brown nipple. It turned into a gorgeous high-low crimson skirt that flowed around Atem as he walked, with high slits in the skirt that would normally show off his glorious thighs. However, since it was winter and for Yugi’s sanity, he wore black tights and thigh-high boots, as well as a fitted, slender cut suit jacket, making him look the perfect mix between professional and sultry. 

His beautiful androgynous look—something that was both feminine in style and nature, but yet still radiated masculinity—was topped off by perfect red lipstick and smokey cat eyes that made Yugi want to bend him over the nearest table and show his husband exactly how much he appreciated his time and effort to look so stunning. Yugi was a lucky man, indeed. 

That thought made the nerves come back and Yugi reached back up out of habit to adjust his tie. Atem was faster, though, grabbing his hand and giving it a little smack. He frowned harshly at Yugi. “You’re going to make your tie crooked at this rate. And your vest. You look amazing, partner. Don’t mess it up.” Yugi sighed and nodded, wishing he had something he could take his nervous energy out on. 

It wasn’t just because Atem looked stunning in his formal wear and Yugi didn't feel nearly as nice as he did. It wasn’t just because they were at a corporate party and Yugi was a big name now in KaibaCorp so everyone tended to watch his every movement. It wasn’t just because he was going to be sitting at a table of old, cranky, likely homophobic, shareholders and rich investors with his husband for the entire stifling dinner, warding off their questions and snarkiness politely. It wasn’t even because he had to give one of the speeches after dinner to discuss upcoming KaibaCorp games and promotions.

Actually, no, that was a lie. Those were  _ exactly _ the reasons he was so nervous. One of those things at a time, he could normally handle with grace and ease but all of them together? Nope, no thank you, no siree. He was twenty-eight years old and he still hated these formal events no matter how much experience he got. 

No, this entire party had him on edge and he felt like he was a gawky sixteen year-old again, unsure of what to do or how to stand or what to say or how he looked or anything. It was one of the few times that he truly just wanted to blow the whole thing off and go home. 

It was something about the whole formal atmosphere and nighttime cocktail party and fancy evening wear that got to him. Yugi could handle a meeting with the shareholders when it was on his turf. Yugi could handle giving presentations to them or speaking about upcoming promotions when it was at a conference for that. 

Yugi could handle formal wear and cocktail parties when it was for other game designers or gaming companies. He had been to a plethora of fancy parties as the King of Games or as a Duel Monsters champion. Those were easy because everyone there were his rivals, were people he had beaten in battle. They were familiar. 

This wasn’t familiar and this was the first time he had been asked to speak at the event. He had gone to this annual winter party four years now, ever since Spherium II had been released and had become such a critically acclaimed game. He became a worthy addition to the upper echelon of KaibaCorp and was invited. 

After all, very few actual KaibaCorp employees were invited to this dinner. Honestly, Mokuba and Kaiba were the only two familiar faces he knew, besides his husband (who was his plus one). There were two engineers he was vaguely familiar with that led the innovation of Kaiba’s Duel Disk-VR system, but everyone else that came were department managers and executives of the other KaibaCorp branches: Finance, Legal, Licensing, R&D, Audit… a lot of the internal affairs that Yugi rarely had to deal with. It was stuff Mokuba or Kaiba still handled.

“Yugi, it’s okay. Please, my love, you’re going to do amazing.” Atem guided him to their table, sitting him down before draping his arms around his shoulders. “How about I make this into a game?” 

“A game?” That got Yugi’s attention, pulling him out of his anxious thoughts. 

“Mmm-hmm. I’ll let you do whatever you wish to me once we’re done here. Even if it’s ripping this beautiful lace shirt that I love so much off my body. But only if you don’t let your anxiety take over. You can do this.” He placed a finger on his glossy red lips. “Actually, after each thing you do that’s difficult tonight, you can get a little more of me. Do everything and you can do me,” Atem said with a playful smirk. 

Yugi grinned, feeling his regular determination to meet a challenge rise in his veins. He could never turn down a game. “Okay. Make it a bit more clear. What goals?” 

“Hmmm… Well, for starters, you have to socialize a little bit before the dinner starts. Just to make Mokuba happy. Then just making it through the actual dinner without losing our cool.” He began to tick each item off on his fingers. “Your speech after dinner. And then, we end the night with you dancing with me.” 

Yugi took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders. The idea of ravishing his husband seemed like a very appetizing goal, indeed. “I think I can handle those four things. Even the dancing.” Yugi was not a good dancer. He liked it well enough but he didn’t have any rhythm. 

Now, Atem? Atem was a fantastic dancer. It was a carryover from his past; apparently Ancient Egyptians loved to dance, even though the royalty and rich didn’t often partake in the activity, thinking it was something fit for the lower class. But with his mother as a dancer, he had been taught from a young age and kept up with it in private. 

Yugi could watch Atem dance all day long without ever getting bored. And while he was scared he’d make a fool of himself, the opportunity to hold his husband in his arms and dance with him was too good to pass up.

“Well then, my love, let the game begin.” Atem trailed a lace covered hand up Yugi’s lapel before dragging it up his neck and running his thumb across his lips. Yugi nipped at the digit teasingly, making Atem smile. “Come, partner. Your crowd awaits.” Yugi rose from the table but hesitated upon looking back out at the people mingling around the convention center. 

Atem, as usual, sensed his emotions. He rubbed Yugi’s arm soothingly. “Hey. I’ll be right next to you. The whole time. It may be a game but we’re still partners in this.”

“You know, I thought you were the introvert out of the two of us,” Yugi muttered, almost pouting. Atem chuckled, placing a hand on the small of Yugi’s back to help guide him away from the safety of the table. “How are you so at ease with this?” 

“Because you’re with me,” Atem said earnestly. It made Yugi reach over to hold his hand, giving it a squeeze in response. “Also, even though I am an introvert, it doesn’t mean I’m particularly bad at talking to people. I was trained to do this from a very young age, after all. It’s not unfamiliar territory. I just don’t  _ like _ to be a politician.” He shrugged. “And it drains me to socialize for too long.” 

“Yugi Mutou!” They paused in their conversation, turning to face a potential investor. Yugi took a deep breath and plastered on a charming smile, greeting the man kindly. 

He’d win this game if it was the last thing he did. After all, his husband was the prize; he couldn’t afford to lose.

* * *

When Mokuba gave the announcement that dinner would be served, Atem leaned over and whispered in Yugi’s ear, “One goal down. You can touch me wherever you want but you can’t remove any of my clothes.”

Yugi had a hard time focusing on the conversation through dinner after that, so hyper aware of his husband sitting right there. Oh. He could think of  _ several _ ways of making Atem  _ scream _ his name and he didn’t need to remove a single article of clothing to do it. He’d run his hands up and down his body, barely grazing his skin through that delightful lace top. No, he’d start from Atem’s face and work his way down, giving him the lightest touches that promised so much more. From his head to his toes, Yugi would explore every inch of Atem, even with his clothes still on. He’d have his husband come undone from the touches alone.

It was so hard to keep the conversation flowing with those thoughts running through his head, but somehow, Yugi managed. They were lucky this year and got placed at a table with some particularly pleasant potential investors and a few shareholders. One of the investors, a wealthy tech company owner, was even gay and had a husband, too. His husband was sick and couldn’t make it but the man mentioned he would definitely bring him next year to meet Atem and Yugi.

Yugi suspicioned Mokuba had purposely put them at the same table. It worked, though; Yugi had no doubt the man would invest in KaibaCorp.

As dessert was being served, Seto introduced Yugi and invited him up to the stage to speak. For a few seconds as he stood at the podium, nerves flashed through his body. But then he caught sight of Atem’s proud smile and Yugi relaxed. With no further hesitation, he began his presentation. 

The words flowed out of him easily, like he had done it a million times. He didn’t feel anxious or nervous at all, smoothly delivering his points. It didn't seem to take any time at all for him to finish the presentation. “With the upcoming line of games and new upgrade to the VR headset that is set to be released in March, we’re projecting considerable growth as we enter Q4 and finish out our fiscal year. We hope that you’ll join us in that journey. Thank you,” Yugi concluded, bowing and turning the stage back over to Kaiba. 

He sat back down beside Atem, thanking the men who praised his speech at the table. They didn’t have time to really talk, though, as Mokuba dismissed the entire party to dance or mingle. People were free to leave if they wished but as the live band began to play music, most people got up to dance. 

Atem was one of those people, tugging Yugi up. “Come, love. You promised me a dance.” Yugi nodded, feeling that warm heat flow through his body and pool in his lower stomach. It didn’t matter how many times they were joined together, what Atem wore, or how many years they’d been dating, Atem could still reduce Yugi into a quivering, knee-shaking mess with how much he wanted to touch and love him. 

The first dance was slow and both of them stayed close together, but nothing too overly intimate. It was just a warm up, really. Yugi let Atem lead because hell if he knew what steps to make, and the two simply enjoyed the moment. At the next song, the tempo sped up, so Atem pressed much closer to Yugi, in order to dance a little less stiffly. 

As Yugi shifted his hands to Atem’s waist, letting his husband sway in his arms and move his body sensually, he felt that fire begin to increase at a rapid rate. Atem’s gaze grew heated as he slipped a leg around Yugi’s hip and his other in-between Yugi’s legs. It let their crotches line up perfectly, which was clearly Atem’s intention. Yugi slid an arm up to his lower back, his other arm hoisting Atem’s leg around his hip, as he dipped him backwards. 

The smoldering look his husband gave him the entire time was nearly enough to make him come undone on the dance floor. Yugi couldn’t catch his breath. As he lifted Atem back up, the man rubbed against him, slotting himself so perfectly with Yugi’s body. Yugi had to bite his lip hard to keep from moaning. 

He was rigidly hard. 

“You know,” Atem began teasingly, not breaking contact with Yugi’s lower half, “you did win the game. You made it through dinner with ease and you gave your speech and did an excellent job at that. And you’ve danced with me.” 

“So what are my rewards?” Yugi began huskily, subtly moving Atem backwards, away from the center of the dance floor and towards the back of the room. 

Atem nipped his earlobe, his fingers dancing along Yugi’s red jacket. “Well, you were already allowed to touch me. Your next reward was being allowed to kiss me. Your third prize was being allowed to undress me. And now the grand prize…” He leaned forward, pressing his lips impossibly close to Yugi’s ear in order to breathe the words, “Now you can fuck me.” 

Yugi had to close his eyes, biting down on his lip again to the point it nearly drew blood. His heart was pounding out of his chest and he was too hot,  _ way too hot _ , right then. The suit jacket and vest were too many layers and his embroidered tie that matched his jacket—which was a gorgeous set but it was now far too tight—was choking him. And not in the fun way. 

“My reward is to do whatever I want to you, right?” he asked heatedly. Atem nodded, his fingers trailing across Yugi’s jaw. Each touch was like a brand, scalding his skin as he wanted, no  _ needed _ , more. So much more. “Oh, when we get home…” But home wasn’t fast enough and Yugi thought he might just combust if he didn’t get Atem right then. 

The song had shifted again and while they still danced closely and intimately, it wasn’t the frenzied tempo from before. It gave Yugi a little bit of clarity to think. 

“Let’s get some fresh air?” he finally asked, nodding towards the balcony doors that were behind them. If he didn’t cool off, he might just burn up from the inside out. Atem grinned but didn’t protest any when Yugi led them outside into the night air. 

There were a few other people lingering on the balcony, which was probably a good thing so that Yugi wasn’t tempted to just have his way with Atem right then and there. He took gulps of the winter air, feeling his body cool. Atem simply stood beside him, clearly eating up Yugi’s hot and bothered state. 

“How are you so unaffected right now? You’re usually the one worse off than me!” Yugi hissed, gripping the balcony railing so tightly his knuckles turned white. Atem chuckled, leaning against Yugi’s shoulder. 

“I’m not nearly as unaffected as you think. But it’s just pretty rare to see you so riled up, so I’ve been able to push my own feelings away in order to bask in the moment.” 

His sweat was cooling against his skin, making him shiver. Despite the chill, Yugi was still dismayed to feel how incredibly hot he felt all over. All he could imagine was peeling off that lace outfit from Atem’s body, running his fingers over his skin reverently, and then tugging down those tights and spreading his legs—-

Yugi let out an audible groan, bowing over to rest his forehead against the railing. Atem laughed, patting Yugi’s back pityingly. “We can always go home, partner. Kaiba doesn’t need you to stay any longer, correct?” 

“Mmm,” he agreed. Mentally, he was counting how long it would take them to get home. They’d have to get the car from valet, so that was at least a five to ten minute thing, and then driving home would take another fifteen minutes—with traffic, it might even take twenty minutes. That was thirty minutes. Could he wait thirty more minutes? 

Shit, could he even drive home in this state? 

“You know,” Atem began, murmuring so low that no one could hear him, “there are stairs leading downstairs. We could just slip away to a shadowy corner for some quick fun…” 

“And then I’ll get the car and fuck you senseless in the first private place I can find,” Yugi muttered. Atem heard him, though, if the sudden tensing was anything to go by. He stood up, taking another deep breath and letting the air fill his lungs. “C’mon. Down the stairs we go.” 

They were almost like two horny teenagers, having to sneak away at every moment to touch each other. 

The stairs led to a maintained garden, but it was not nearly private enough to do anything intimate in. They walked the length of the building, scanning for anything secluded. Finally, just when Yugi was ready to give up and just go to their car, they found another stairwell that led to a basement entrance meant for employees of the convention center. It was perfectly dark and hidden enough from sight that there was no way anyone could see them unless they were coming out of the door from the building, or walking down the stairs. Even better, because the stairs were split, someone would have to turn a corner in the stairwell before they could see the bottom, so even if a person walked by, they wouldn’t be able to see Yugi or Atem. 

It was the perfect spot. 

Atem was vibrating with excitement when Yugi pushed him up against the wall next to the basement door. He kissed the underside of his jaw desperately, while his hands roamed his body. Atem tried to stifle a moan, not wanting anyone to hear them. 

Yugi kissed his lips, pouring his want and desire into the kiss. Their tongues tangled together and everything felt so incredibly  _ right _ with the world. Yugi felt the ball of anxious nerves from earlier completely dissolve, as well as the butterflies of heated anticipation that had settled in his stomach. It was like he was floating in air, tingling with excitement and pleasure. 

Still, as much as he wanted to go slow and lavish Atem with the proper attention he deserved, they were still decently exposed and speed was key to not get caught. Yugi reached a hand down Atem’s tights and boxers, gripping his erection. His husband groaned into his mouth as Yugi stroked him. 

He jolted when a hand slipped down his pants, gripping his shaft, too. Atem began to jerk him off, making Yugi’s knees shake while he moaned into Atem’s mouth. The friction felt delicious. It was hard to breathe or even think straight. His heart was pounding out of his chest as he approached his end quickly. Atem was getting close, too, as his hand lost the steady rhythm, becoming more disjointed and his body trembled in Yugi’s hold. 

“T-together. Let’s come together,” Yugi breathed out. Atem nodded, unable to say anything as he panted too hard to speak. His bangs were matted against his sweaty forehead and the sight was gorgeous. “Atem… Atem… Gods, Atem. I love you.” He kept his voice low, murmuring the words into Atem’s ear. 

“Yugi… Yes. I love you. I love you.” It was all Atem could get out before he shuddered and tensed, coming into Yugi’s hand. As soon as Yugi felt him tense, he let himself reach his peak, coming at the same time. 

They were still panting as they carefully removed their hands from each others’ pants. Yugi grimaced at the cum in his hand, unsure of what to do. He finally opted to kneel down and wipe it on the ground. Atem did the same, scrunching his nose up as the white fluid dirtied the lace on his hands. “I hope that washes out. I love this top.” 

“Ready to get the car?” Yugi asked lightly, wrapping an arm around Atem’s waist as they walked out of the stairwell. He felt a little lightheaded, still recovering from the orgasm. 

“Mmm-hmm. Do you have lube in there?” 

“Of course. There’s a small bottle in the glovebox.” Atem grinned, eyes shining with eager anticipation. Yugi felt another spark of desire curl in his stomach. They couldn’t get to the car fast enough. 

* * *

Every minute they had to wait was excruciating. It seemed like it took the valet  _ forever _ to get their car pulled around and even after they were in the car, it was another ten minutes just trying to get out of the convention center and back on the road.

Atem riled him up the entire time. He brushed feather-light touches against Yugi’s skin, dipping his fingers underneath his tuxedo jacket and dress shirt. As soon as they were in the car, Atem helped loosen his tie, tossing it into the backseat. Something about the motion sent more heat coiling through Yugi’s body. 

Yugi stripped out of his jacket and vest, tossing those into the backseat, too. Atem let out a small whine. “Ack, partner! You’ll wrinkle that jacket. It was expensive.” 

He really didn’t care at that moment. The idea of Atem’s body was far more important. He could barely concentrate on the road as they drove and Yugi knew there was no way he would be patient enough to make it home. 

In fact, at the first parking lot he found, he pulled in. He found the darkest spot in the lot, away from other cars, and shut the car off. 

And then he pounced on his husband, climbing over the center column to straddle Atem’s lap. “You’re my prize, right?” Yugi asked, wrapping his arms around Atem’s neck. 

“I am. Do with me what you will.” Yugi groaned, closing his eyes. That fiery spiral in his stomach was curling tighter. He didn’t think he’d last long at all. It didn’t help that the excitement of doing this in a car had also added to his arousal. 

“I’m going to fuck you senseless,” Yugi finally said. Atem grinned, leaning forward and nibbling Yugi's lips before kissing him. 

“I think I’d like that a lot.” They continued to kiss as they fumbled with their clothing. Atem unbuttoned Yugi’s dress shirt and pushed it off his shoulders, while Yugi yanked Atem’s tights down as far as they would go while he was still wearing his thigh high boots. He didn’t bother with trying to remove his top and skirt. 

They broke apart, breathing heavily. Yugi reached down and leaned the seat back, lowering it all the way back. Atem scooted to the headrest, pulling off his boots as he went, as well as his tights and boxers. He tossed them into the backseat, joining Yugi’s vest, tie, jacket, and dress shirt. 

“On my knees?” Atem asked, crawling forward and lifting his ass and giving an eager wiggle. 

“Yes, please,” Yugi responded with a moan. He unbuttoned his pants and slid them and his boxers down to his knees. Before he went any further, though, Yugi twisted around and dug through the glovebox, retrieving the tiny bottle of lube. He slicked his fingers and his cock, inserting a finger into Atem. 

“Mmm, more, Yugi. Faster, please.” Yugi didn’t really want to spend that long on prep tonight, either, but he still needed to make sure he wouldn’t hurt his husband by pushing inside him too quickly. He inserted another finger, stretching Atem’s hole as fast as he could. Luckily, Atem opened up easily for him, his body and muscles so used to the penetration. To be safe, he added one more finger, letting Atem ride them for a minute or two before finally pulling out. 

Then he pushed into Atem, thankful for once that he was so short. He bowed over Atem a little bit to keep from hitting his head on the roof, but in general, he was able to fuck him reasonably comfortably doggy style. He gripped Atem’s hips, slamming into him and drawing loud cries from his husband’s throat. 

It was not that gentle; Yugi’s thrusts were feverish, rocking against Atem’s body desperately. “Oh, Yugi—yes, right there! Ah!” Atem pressed his forehead into his arms, moaning into the seat. Having found the spot that was making his husband scream, Yugi plowed into him relentlessly, striking that sweet bundle of nerves again and again. Atem was nearly sobbing, his voice going hoarse as he tried to lock his screams inside his throat. 

The pace was intense, enough that Atem simply lost himself to the pleasure. Yugi could feel the way his body tensed right before he was going to come; reaching down, he gripped Atem’s cock and stoked it a few times. The added sensation was too much for Atem. He cried out and his body tensed, clenching around Yugi’s dick inside him as he rode out the orgasm. 

That tight coil that had been burning steadily inside Yugi erupted into a white-hot burst, spreading through his entire body. He let out a few broken gasps, the heat of Atem’s body so delicious as it clamped down on his dick, he couldn’t think. He groaned into Atem’s back, giving a few final thrusts as he emptied himself into Atem. 

Atem’s knees gave out and he fell flat against the seat, Yugi falling with him. They laid there, pressed together, breathing. They both were basking in the afterglow. 

“That was one way to end the night,” Atem finally said once he could breathe normally again. “That was so good, I drooled. And we need a rag to clean the leather.” 

“Mmph, just lay here for now. I have a few napkins in the center console. We’ll clean up in a little bit.” Atem let out a sleepy acknowledgement. They were quiet for a few more minutes before Yugi nuzzled his shoulder. “Thank you for tonight. For going with me and keeping me sane and dancing with me and all of your encouragement. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“Of course, Yugi. You’re my partner and my husband. I want to support you in any way I can.” He glanced over his shoulder and smirked. “Also, this isn’t such a bad reward for me, either,” he said with a wink. 

“You’re wrong about something, though,” Yugi told him. At Atem’s questioning glance, he elaborated. “You said that was one way to end the night. But the night isn’t over yet. I still have to get you home and unwrap you like the proper prize you are.” 

Atem grinned. “Well then, my love, take me home. So we can end this night properly.” 

Yugi pressed a tender kiss to the skin on Atem’s shoulder. “Any night I’m with you is a night that’s ended properly. You being alive and with me is the greatest prize of all.” He could feel the way Atem melted at his words. Stroking his sides, Yugi sighed happily. “But I’m definitely not opposed to getting home now. We’re going to have a delightfully long night ahead of us, after all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are only like five prompts left. Woo! We're in the home stretch now.


	20. Zealous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the annual Game Awards and Spherium II is nominated for several. Yugi doesn't seem to care one way or another if he wins, but that's okay; Atem is zealous enough about him winning for the both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter where Yugi and Atem are married. I think every chapter except one from here on out will have them married. I can't help it. I just love how sappy and fluffy they are together when they're married.

##  20: Zealous

He was nominated for eight— _ eight _ —categories. It was amazing. Atem was so incredibly proud of his husband for everything he had accomplished with Spherium II. 

And he was also incredibly nervous. He wanted Yugi to win in every category he was nominated in. He was pretty sure, at this point, he wanted Yugi to win more than Yugi himself did, as well as being more anxious about the nominations than Yugi. If anything, Yugi seemed extremely calm about the whole thing. He was relaxed in the seat next to him, simply taking in the venue and looking around in awe at being at the Game Awards. 

Not worried at all about the nominations or winning or anything. He was just basking in the atmosphere, thrilled to even be invited to the Game Awards. 

Well, that was why Atem was there. He would stress enough about Yugi winning for both of them. 

“Geez, Yug, you look so at ease about this whole thing,” Joey leaned over Kaiba to say, voicing Atem’s thoughts exactly. “Ain’t you nervous at all about the awards? You’re nominated for Game of the Year, right?” Yugi nodded, a small pleased smile playing on his lips. 

“I’m just happy to be invited here and be nominated for anything. I mean, don’t get me wrong, of course I want to win. But it’s not really a big deal if I lose. This is my first game ever, so to be nominated for eight awards already and to be here and even be nominated for Game of the Year is just… amazing all on its own.” 

Kaiba let out a scoff, glaring down at his designer. “You better win. I won’t have the best selling KaibaCorp game of all time have eight nominations and not win something. That would be outrageous. Tch.” He crossed his arms, leaning back against the chair. 

“KaibaCorp is nominated for Developer of the Year, too, aren’t they? For the upgraded Duel Disk-VR headset and for Spherium II?” Serenity asked, looking up at her brother. Joey nodded. 

“That’s probably why he’s so cranky. He’s going against some pretty big names so…” Mokuba waved Joey’s words away, leaning forward to see the rest of the group. 

“While we may not have published as many games as the other companies, our equipment was top of the line and revolutionary. Spherium II’s holographic model from both the VR headset and from the KaibaCorp mobile devices was something never before seen in the gaming world. Then, with our contributions to the Duel Monster’s industry with the upgraded holographic machines, the Duel Academy’s opening, the VR Capsule Monster’s DLC, and integration with Dungeon Dice Monsters to the Duel Disk? We’re killing it this year.” 

Kaiba nodded proudly, smirking down at Joey. “I’m not worried at all, mutt, about my nomination.” Joey glared at the nickname, reaching up and flicking Kaiba’s nose. Kaiba glowered. “Don’t make me call security on you,” he threatened. Joey rolled his eyes, ignoring Kaiba’s empty words, and turned towards his sister to talk to her. 

Technically speaking, only Kaiba, Mokuba, and Yugi had been officially invited to the awards show. Atem was naturally Yugi’s plus-one, while Joey had begged to be Kaiba’s plus-one in order to come, and Mokuba had offered the invite of his plus-one to Serenity just to be nice. 

Yugi had wondered more than once if Mokuba liked Serenity as more than just a friend; Atem had no idea, though. Mokuba seemed to be really good friends with Serenity, and they were similar ages, being only about a year apart. Given how much time they both spent with their older sibling and how much time Seto and Joey spent together anymore, it made sense for them to become close friends, too. Did that mean he liked her or that Serenity liked Mokuba? Possibly. 

As far as Atem knew, Mokuba had never had a significant other before. Mokuba was a lot like Atem; he didn’t really find people attractive and never really wanted anything sexual with anybody unless he was close to them. As it was, the younger Kaiba brother wasn’t normally particularly close to anyone, though, besides their group of friends. He saw Yugi, Atem, and Joey as older siblings, and didn’t see Duke, Ryou, Tristan, or Téa enough to really form much of an emotional bond with them. But given the time he had begun spending with Serenity… Atem thought it was entirely possible that Yugi was on to something.

“Do you think our friends are okay up there?” Yugi whispered, leaning into Atem. “I hate that we can’t sit with them.” Atem patted his husband’s hand, giving a smile to ease his worry. 

“I’m sure they are just fine. Rebecca and Téa are there, so those two will keep everyone in line. Ryou, too. Even with as rowdy as Mai, Tristan, and Duke can be, I’m sure everything will be fine.” Their friends had gotten tickets to the awards show to support Yugi on his big day, but they were the normal general admission tickets. Neither Yugi or Kaiba could pull any strings to get any better seats for them or to have them sit with them at the front. “Besides, with Mama and Grandpa sitting with them, they’ll be on their best behavior.” 

Yugi looked like he wanted to say something else—probably about his mother actually willingly coming to America to watch the awards show—but the lights dimmed, signaling the start of the show. Yugi took a deep breath, turning to face the stage. He laced his fingers with Atem’s sweaty ones.

Despite Atem’s nerves, he was able to enjoy himself while watching the show. At least until the first category came up that Spherium II was nominated for. Best Art Direction. 

Atem held his breath, terrified as the other games were listed. Yugi had some stiff competition. Most were normal console games—many of which he and Yugi had played eagerly—and Atem knew firsthand what beautiful graphics and stunning animation they had. But Spherium II wasn’t known necessarily for it’s excellent graphics as much as its technical achievements. The holographic models of their characters that appeared from the screen was what set Spherium II apart from its competitors. 

But was that technical innovation enough? Atem swallowed hard, unsure. 

“And the winner is… Spherium II!” He took a gasping breath of air, clapping wildly as his husband stood and smiled, walking towards the stage. He accepted the trophy, making a brief speech thanking KaibaCorp and both Kaiba brothers for helping oversee the development of Spherium II and leading the way with holographic designs. 

One trophy out of eight. Atem breathed out a sigh of relief. He believed so much in his husband. He just hoped that the rest of the jury that had voted for the winners could see that same beauty and hard work in Spherium II that he did. 

Joey slapped Yugi’s shoulder as he passed them, sitting back down in his seat. “Awesome job, Yug! I knew you could do it!” 

“Even if this is the only award I win tonight, I’ll be happy,” Yugi admitted, staring down in awe at his trophy. “This is so amazing. I have no idea what I even said up there, I was in so much shock that I won.” 

They couldn’t talk for long, though, as the next category was announced. The group fell silent, watching the next round of nominees and winners. Atem relaxed some, still gripping Yugi’s hand as they waited for the next category he was nominated in. 

It seemed to come all too quickly. The nominees for Best Ongoing Game were announced and once more, Atem held his breath. The winner was announced and it took him several seconds to release his breath in a long sigh as he realized that it wasn’t Spherium II that won. Joey huffed, clearly insulted on Yugi’s behalf, while Kaiba even muttered. “Clearly, they have no concept of what makes a good ongoing game.” 

Atem chanced a glance at Yugi to see him not shaken in the least by the loss. He was still clapping excitedly for his competitor, genuinely happy for the other winner. Belatedly, he responded to Kaiba’s quip, stating, “We’ve only released two DLC packages since my launch last December. It’s no wonder I didn’t win this category. I’d need to release a lot more DLC to really qualify for this.” Kaiba’s only response was a pouty, “Tch.” 

Their disappointment didn’t last long. The next two categories Spherium II was nominated in—Best Mobile Game and Best VR Game—won easily. Yugi almost looked embarrassed when he went back up to accept the Best VR Game trophy so soon after accepting the Best Mobile Game one. 

Three wins already on his game. Atem felt like his chest was bursting with pride for his husband. It was so wonderful to realize that all those late nights last year, the stressful meetings, the tears, the pain… It was all worth it. Yugi had made his vision come true and people were recognizing what an amazing designer he was. 

Luckily, Yugi got to sit for a little while as they began the awards for games of different genres. Yugi’s game was classified as a strategy game, even though there were several fighting elements in it, so he had a bit of time to wait before his category. 

When it came, though, he heard Joey mutter, “He better win. Spherium II was the  _ only _ strategy game worth talking about this year.” Both Mokuba and Kaiba let out sounds of agreement. 

And, thankfully, he did. This time in his acceptance speech, instead of thanking his fans or KaibaCorp, he thanked his grandfather for getting him into strategy games and developing his love of games in general. “None of this would have ever happened without you, Grandpa, so thank you. And thank you for being here tonight. This one is for you.” 

There was another roar of applause, while the cameras searched out the Grandpa that Yugi had spoke of. They found the older man wiping his eyes, teary with pride, after his grandson’s award. 

It was a precious sight. Atem was proud of his husband for remembering Grandpa during this time—after all, Yugi was right. Without him, none of them would have ever got into gaming like they had.

Four wins and only one loss. Those were good odds so far. But he still had the two biggest categories coming up: Best Game Direction and Game of the Year. Just thinking about it made Atem’s stomach twist wildly with nerves. If his husband didn’t win, he might just contemplate doing a Shadow Game on the ones who decided on the winners because, well… they deserved it. 

(They didn’t; Atem knew everything was as fair as it could be in the voting process, but it didn’t make it any easier to swallow the possibility that his husband might  _ lose _ . What could he say? He was passionate about his husband’s work, maybe even a bit fanatical.) 

The next category Spherium II was nominated in, Best Multiplayer Game, lost. Even Kaiba seemed to have expected that loss, though, shrugging it off along with Yugi. Spherium II was a good multiplayer game but it hadn’t done anything particularly innovative in the field compared to some of the other games. 

All too soon they were at the end of the show. The last semi-big award, Best Game Direction, was announced. This was the one award that Atem thought Yugi should definitely win. Spherium II was innovative, different, and the pinnacle of creative vision and technological direction. If it didn’t win… if it didn’t win… Atem wasn’t sure what he would do. He would be extremely disappointed, that was for sure. Just thinking about that possibility made something bitter burn at the back of his throat. He wanted Yugi to win so badly, he felt almost like he could will it into existence.

And then the announcer opened the card and grinned. “Taking home its fifth award of the night: Spherium II!” This time when Yugi stood, he tugged on Kaiba’s hand, dragging his boss along with him, much to Kaiba’s bewilderment and annoyance. 

“I know I’ve thanked KaibaCorp and the Kaiba brothers several times already, but for this particular award, it didn't seem right to accept it alone; it should really go to Seto Kaiba. Seto has been such a driving force behind the game, being my mentor,  partner, boss, and friend as I developed Spherium II, and none of this would have been possible without him. Even with all the times I wanted to throttle him and thought he was a giant asshole," Yugi said this with a teasing, joking grin, "his decisions were always right and for the best. It was his direction that really led Spherium in the right way, so he’s really the one that should get this.” Yugi handed Kaiba the trophy with a smile. 

Kaiba gave one of his amused half-laughs, but Atem could see the tiniest genuine smile play on his lips. He looked pleased at Yugi’s words. 

He surprisingly stepped up to the mic to say something, stating, “KaibaCorp is known for releasing the best of the best. The King of Games is known for beating the best of the best. So when we both team up as partners, it shouldn’t be surprising that we’ve created the best of the best.” Kaiba didn’t say anything else, but did place a hand on Yugi’s shoulder, his own way of saying a wordless thanks. 

Yugi recognized the gesture for what it was and beamed as they walked back to their seats. 

Of course, it wasn’t long before Kaiba was standing up again to head back to the stage, this time, Mokuba following with him. Like they had predicted, KaibaCorp won Developer of the Year. Mokuba handled the speech, being perfectly courteous and thanking their fans and loyal supporters, promising that they would continue to work hard to never let them down. 

And then there was the final award left. Atem felt his heart clench as his palms became ten times sweatier in Yugi’s hand. This was the most important award and he was terrified for his husband. He wanted Yugi to win so badly. 

The nominees were listed. Atem felt the slightest tremble go through Yugi’s hand and realized that, despite all his calm, Yugi was actually nervous for the award. Atem clenched his hand tighter, looking over and smiling at Yugi. “You’ve done incredible, partner. No matter what happens, you have created something one-of-a-kind that's truly spectacular.” Yugi returned his smile and squeezed his hand back, the subtle tension leaving his body in one exhale. 

“And the winner for Game of the Year… Spherium II!” Yugi sat there in the chair, seemingly too stunned to move. Kaiba nudged his shoulder, hissing, “Go!” But Yugi was paralyzed, as if all of his repressed nerves struck him all at once. Behind the announcer, the monitor flashed with Spherium II’s name, listing the developer and creator in big letters. Seeing Yugi’s name up there filled Atem’s entire body with ardent excitement.

Yugi was still frozen to his seat, dazed. Atem dragged him up, pulling him along. “C’mon, love. You did it. You  _ won _ .” It wasn’t until they made it to the stairs for the stage that Yugi snapped back into himself, shaking off his shock. He beamed, striding forward and taking the lead, now pulling Atem along. Atem tried to slip his hand from Yugi’s—after all, this was Yugi’s moment to be on the stage and Atem didn’t want to encroach—but his husband simply tightened the grip, refusing to let him go. 

Yugi was breathless as he accepted the trophy, still unwilling to let go of Atem’s hand, even as he stepped up to the mic. “This has been a crazy, amazing year,” he began. “I released Spherium II last December and the reception was beyond my wildest imagination. Then, that same month, I proposed to the man of my dreams and he accepted. And then just this past August, we got married in a fairytale wedding. It’s been a whirlwind of all my dreams coming true.” Yugi paused, looking back and smiling at Atem, before turning back to talk in the mic.

“And I am so incredibly thankful to every person that’s bought or played or streamed Spherium, and all of those that have been following me since my tournament days with Duel Monsters, and all my fans who have just supported me over the years and now Spherium. You all mean the world to me. But, I also have to give a special thanks to my biggest fan and supporter. He has kept me going through all these years of development, being my partner, my other self, my best friend, and husband.” He tugged Atem forward, turning to face him. 

“Atem, thank you for putting up with me through all the late nights, the stress, the sleepless days, the long hours of working, the tears of frustration and fear, all the pain I put you through to accomplish my dream… It was so hard and I just… Thank you so much for standing with me through it all. Look, babe.” Yugi held up the trophy, giving a watery smile. “We did it.” 

Atem didn’t care about anything right then besides Yugi. He felt so overwhelmed with love and adoration and wanted to do whatever he could to express that to his partner. He didn’t care about the crowd. He didn’t care about the cameras. He didn't care about the millions of people watching the livestream. He didn’t care about the show at all. All he cared about was Yugi.

He swept Yugi off his feet zealously, scooping him up into his arms and kissing him hard on the mouth. The crowd had already been applauding but now there was a roar of cheers. He broke apart from Yugi, seeing his husband flushed with delirious elation. “I’m so honored to be at your side, my love.” Atem nuzzled his cheek. “And you did this, Yugi. Spherium II was all you.” 

“No,” Yugi replied adamantly, staring at Atem with the same zealous affection he felt pounding in his chest, “I couldn’t have done this without you; you’ve kept me so strong and supported me through all this and look… Look at what we’ve done. We won Game of the Year!” He let out an excited squeal, seemingly finally realizing what he had won and accomplished. Atem’s heart burst with adoration and he hugged Yugi closer to his chest, laughing with glee. 

Not for the first time, and definitely not for the last, Atem realized his husband was absolutely incredible. His first game had won  _ six _ gaming awards, one of which was the prestigious Game of the Year award. Yugi was absolutely unstoppable. There was nothing he couldn’t accomplish.

Beaming with pride as he carried his husband down the stairs from the stage, Atem leaned down and murmured, “You can do anything you put your mind to.” 

Instantly, Yugi looked up, that same passion shining in his eyes. “Only if you’re with me.” 

“Of course. And I vow to be for the rest of time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun trivia fact, because it's how I entertain myself when I'm drawing all these pictures, Yugi's shoes are the exact same ones that Atem wore in the Chapter 12: Heinous picture. I like to think that the two swap their shoes back and forth. These are totally Atem's shoes, though. He's all about that leopard print. 
> 
> Even more of a fun fact about those shoes? They're based on ones G-Dragon wears in one of his photoshoots, except GD's are black and these are blue. He wore them in the 2014 Paris photobook shoot he did with Taeyang. I have a habit of basing a lot of Atem and Yugi's clothing in these pictures on K-pop clothing, specifically G-Dragon's outfits.


	21. Jest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> KaibaCorp begins a streaming channel. Joey is the host and Mokuba and Yugi are there, too. Kaiba loses his mind and Atem prays Osiris will take him back to the Field of Reeds. Needless to say, it's a hit with the fans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Game Grumps for inspiring a large portion of this chapter. 
> 
> Yugi and Atem are married in this chapter.

##  21: Jest

For the first time in a long time, Atem was truly and fully embarrassed. He had no idea what his husband was doing up on that stage but he wanted to sink into his chair and hide underneath the table. 

Kaiba wasn’t doing much better. He was stuck between horror, shame, and furious anger. If Atem wasn’t currently praying to Osiris to take him back to the Field of Reeds, he would probably laugh at the constipated look on Kaiba’s face.

“What… are they doing?” Duke asked lightly, his mouth quirked in some-half smirk, half-incredulous grimace. “Yugi and Mokuba and Joey? What is going on?” He had just walked in and had missed the first hour of this shit show. 

“I don’t know,” Ryou responded, grinning wildly. “This is definitely a different way to drum up viewership.” 

“We are KaibaCorp, a prestigious tech company, leaders in the gaming industry. What the  _ fuck _ are they doing?” Kaiba was finally able to speak. He looked almost like he wanted to vomit. 

Atem covered his face with one hand, peering through the cracks in his fingers. Yugi and Mokuba were both wearing sunglasses, smirking into the camera they were streaming with. A laptop was sitting on the table in front of them so they could communicate with their viewers. 

And behind them, Joey ran wildly, dunking his head into a bucket of ice water. He had just been dared to eat a ghost pepper and had done it; he was now sorely regretting everything if his screams were anything to go by. 

“Woot! Joey, you just earned us another 160 followers for that! We’re up to 14,367 now!” 

This had been going on for an hour. At first, it was just a normal stream. Mokuba and Yugi introduced Joey, talked about how KaibaCorp was going to do their own streaming channel now and Joey was going to host it by playing and reviewing games. He was going to become a Let’s Player and would likely have a rotating guest list of KaibaCorp employees or friends. Like Yugi or Mokuba or maybe even the CEO himself, Seto Kaiba. 

It was a clever way for KaibaCorp to make a name in the streaming network, get a friendly and personable face out there—Joey’s—that would play their games and drum up more support and sales for the games. Not that KaibaCorp was doing badly in any way, but they had been watching the rise of popular streamers and Let’s Players online and Mokuba was determined to get a natural foothold in the industry. 

This was their first stream, but Atem should have expected with the likes of Mokuba, Joey, and Yugi teaming up together, they would have done something outrageous. The three of them were creative marketing geniuses. 

Sure enough, within fifteen minutes of streaming, Joey had whipped out three pairs of sunglasses, nicknamed them the Trio of Fun, and the three had been taking fan requests ever since. It had gotten more and more extreme; Mokuba and Yugi had completely shed their professional, suave KaibaCorp image, becoming like hyperactive versions of their real personalities. Clearly, they were putting on a show, but given how the viewiership had jumped into the hundreds of thousands and were nearing the millions, it was clearly a success. 

Well, besides Kaiba’s pride. He looked like he was seriously regretting putting his top designer, his little brother, and one of his best game testers in charge of this project. 

“All right, all right! Thank you all for joining in!” Mokuba began, laughing as Joey rejoined them, pouring a gallon of milk into his mouth. He was still screaming even as the milk went down his throat.

“We’re gonna end the stream here before Joey shits himself from the pain,” Yugi added, smirking into the camera. “He’s gonna have a baaad night tonight.” 

“One final request before we go, though!” Mokuba looked down at the laptop, scrolling through the text. Seeing something that caught his eye, he began to answer a question, “Ha, my big bro? Oh, he’s here watching. He’s about to have an aneurysm from everything we’ve done.” 

“Heh, yeah, I think when we busted out the blindfold about thirty minutes ago, he about lost his shit.” 

“At least we never got to the whole Eat it or Wear it Challenge. Seto would’ve  _ died _ .” Yugi’s grin turned downright evil, Atem thought. 

“Next time. We’ll do that with him next time.” Yugi glanced back at the text chat and nodded. “Yeah, Atem is here, too. He’s currently crying from embarrassment back there with Kaiba. I think I’ve ruined my husband’s perfect image of me. Which is crazy; I mean, we’ve been married for like… almost four years now. You’d think he had seen it all.” 

Atem groaned, slipping down further in his seat. “Yugi, darling, please…” he ground out. Yugi smirked at him, waggling his eyebrows. 

“I’m killing him, guys. We just might not make it to our fourth year anniversary at this rate.” Yugi lowered his sunglasses slightly, shooting Atem a teary-eyed, puppy-dog look. “You wouldn’t leave me, would you, babe?”

He buried his face further in his hands but still shook his head. If this was how all of Joey’s streams would become, Atem didn’t think he’d be able to survive. And normally, Atem was the one who thrived on dramatics but this… this was just not what he had been expecting. He hadn’t had time to prepare himself for it. 

“Oh good, he said he wouldn’t leave me, guys! Whoop!” Yugi pumped his fist while Mokuba looked up from the chat, beckoning the four of them that sat beyond the camera. 

“Okay, guys, the fans wanna see you all before we log off. C’mon!” Kaiba shook his head and Mokuba simply laughed. “C’mon, Big Bro! It’s for the fans! Ryou, drag him over!” Ryou tugged on Kaiba’s arm with surprising strength, making the taller man stumble forward. His face was still frozen in distressed horror at what the stream had become. Atem dutifully followed behind, figuring if Kaiba had to suffer through it, the least he could do was be there with him. 

“Yo, Duke, take a picture of this on my cell phone! We’ll post this to the official KaibaCorp accounts. Hehehe.” Mokuba chucked his phone to Duke, who caught it smoothly. “All right, everyone! Strike a pose!”

* * *

Atem wasn’t even sure what travesty they had created with the photo. Everything had happened too quickly and the camera had snapped and…

He grimaced, looking at the image on one of the official KaibaCorp social media accounts. Mokuba had put it out, advertising Joey’s channel. Now, a month later, it had clearly worked. Joey had become one of the biggest streamers on the platform, rotating between gaming which subsequently advertised KaibaCorp games, and hosting random shenanigans with certain other employees. 

And this picture was the thing that represented it all.

Yugi had slid into the splits, holding up a hand dramatically at the front of the picture. A grinning Ryou squatted behind him, holding up a peace sign. Kaiba was still frozen in his disgusted horror face. Atem was praying behind Yugi, clearly wishing for Osiris to whisk him back up to the Field of Reeds. Behind all of them, Joey was still screeching and running somewhere—likely for more milk or ice water—making a sound that Atem imagined a pterodactyl would have made. Mokuba was above all of them, having lept into the air at the perfect time to strike a pose complementary to Yugi’s. And then there was Duke… He had managed to stick his face in the frame right before snapping the picture, having a bemused look at the entire ordeal.

Mokuba had titled the picture, “Shitshow,” and Atem had to admit, it was entirely accurate. 

“Oh, babe, don’t worry. Joey only asked us here to do a relationship question-thing. I guess the fans want to know more about us. Apparently, we’re pretty popular.” Yugi bumped his hip against Atem’s, shooting him a smile. “Today will be normal, I promise. And it’s only for like twenty minutes, anyways. I’ve got a meeting later today with Kaiba, so we can’t get dirty or gross or anything there.” 

“Only twenty minutes?” 

“Yup! And it’s called like the boyfriend tag challenge, or something like that. We just answer questions about each other. Easy-peasy.” Atem nodded, knowing Yugi wouldn’t lie to him. He gripped his husband’s hand, smiling when Yugi squeezed it.

They settled into the set with Joey, doing a few introductions and talking a little before Joey whipped out his list of questions. 

“I picked the best ones!” he told them with a grin. “Only ten, though, since I know ya’ll can’t stay long. All you gotta do is answer the questions about each other. Whoever gets the most points, wins!” 

“Points?” Atem raised an eyebrow, feeling the rush of a challenge flood his veins. “I didn’t know this was going to be a game.” Joey smirked. 

“Of course. I know how you two work. I’ll ask the question, then you two write your own answers on these white boards. Yugi will guess what Atem’s board says, while Atem guesses Yugi’s. If your answer matches the board, you get a point. At the end of ten questions, whoever has the most points wins!” He passed the two whiteboards and markers. 

Atem smiled, cracking his knuckles. “All right. Let’s do this. I absolutely refuse to lose.” He smirked at his husband. "Not at a game showing how well I know you." Yugi raised an eyebrow, returning Atem's challenging smirk with one of his own. 

“Awesome, first question! What is your coffee order?” Atem and Yugi uncapped their markers, scribbling something quickly. They both nodded when Joey looked at them. “Okay, Yug, you start. What is Atem’s coffee order?” 

“It’s a mocha coffee with two extra pumps of chocolate and whip cream added on top. He likes it sweet and chocolatey.” Atem flipped his board, grinning. It read:  _ Mocha coffee w/ extra mocha. _

“One point for Yugi! And Atem? How’s Yug like his coffee?” 

“Caramel with four sugars, four creamers, and three shots of espresso on a bad day.” Atem didn’t hesitate. He knew Yugi’s coffee order like the back of his hand. 

Yugi smiled, turning his board. “Ding ding ding! I’d expect nothing less from your husband,” Joey admitted. “Okay, question two. Dog or cat person?” After a few seconds he gestured to Atem. 

“This one is easy,” Atem remarked. “We’re both cat people.” Yugi nodded, flipping his board with Atem to see “cat” written on both. 

Joey rolled his eyes. “I should know better than to give you easy stuff like this. Fine. What’s your favorite accessory? Something you can’t go without wearing.”

“Easy~” Yugi responded in a sing-song voice, finishing writing his. “I’ll start. Atem’s is his cartouche necklace.” 

“And Yugi’s is his collar.” 

“Damn. Another point for both of you. This is a joke trying to trip you two up. Okay, who is your childhood friend?” 

Yugi paused, tilting his head. “How childhood are we talking here? High school? Or before?” 

“Before. Like when you were five or six or whatever.” Atem wrote his answer down, frowning and adding another name. Joey gestured for him to answer first.

Yugi’s answer was easy. He only had one childhood friend ever. The only friend he really had until high school, though by that point, they hadn’t really been that close anymore. “Téa was your childhood friend.” Yugi nodded. 

“Yours were… Mana and Mahad. I didn’t think you would only pick one.” Atem laughed and turned his board. 

“You are correct, my love.” 

Joey sighed, adding another point to both of their scores. “Still tied. Okay, this one is pretty detailed. What is your favorite cake flavor?” That made Atem pause. He had to think on this one; he and Yugi didn’t eat too much cake, really, besides Atem’s favorite flavor. So what was Yugi’s…? 

No, wait, there was definitely one flavor that stuck out. Ah. He knew what Yugi wrote. 

“Geez, no question here,” Yugi spoke up, rolling his eyes. “Atem is a chocolate fiend. His favorite cake is chocolate. With chocolate icing. Fudge center. Layers of chocolate. All of it.” Atem laughed at that, nodding. He had written  _ triple chocolate cake.  _

“I almost didn’t remember your favorite cake,” Atem admitted. “But then I remembered New York and how you finally got to experience the namesake cake that you loved so much. Your favorite cake is cheesecake, New York style cheesecake to be specific.” Yugi nodded eagerly, flipping his whiteboard so the camera could see Atem was right. 

Joey let out a groan. “You two aren’t fun at all! You just know way too much about each other. Gods, it’s almost like you were one person or shared a mind or something!” Atem and Yugi both snorted at the joke. “All right. These are the intense questions. And since we’re running out of time, let’s rapid fire round this. I’ll spit out the questions, you write down your answers, and let’s see if they match. Cool?” 

“Cool,” Yugi and Atem agreed. 

“What do ya’ll argue about and who wins? What are you afraid of? Do you want kids? Could you tell the other liked you before you started dating? And the last one, what nickname do you call the other person?” Atem could see Yugi scribbling away on his board as Joey spoke. He finished his own answers, wondering slightly if he knew what answers Yugi put. He was pretty sure he did. 

“Yug, go first. List Atem’s answers.” 

“Easy-peasy,” Yugi said with a grin. “We don’t argue so neither of us wins in an argument; Atem’s afraid of the dark; yes, we both want kids, and no. We were both completely oblivious to each others feelings. It was… the butt of many jokes from our friends, actually. Oh, and his original nickname for me was partner, but we have a thousand pet names for each other.” 

“Atem? Yugi’s answers?” 

“We don’t argue,” Atem repeated with a grin, “and if we do, neither of us wins an argument. We compromise always. Yugi’s afraid of fire. We both definitely want kids. And while Yugi didn’t know I liked him, I absolutely knew he liked me,” he said smugly. Both Joey and Yugi gave him flat stares. 

He finally laughed, waving his hands. “I jest, I jest! No. We both had no clue about each others feelings. And Yugi used to call me his other self, but now it tends to be ‘babe’ or ‘love’.” 

“I was about to say…” Joey trailed off, shaking his head. “I was gonna call you a liar; you two were so into each other and how you couldn’t see it was beyond all of us. Anyways, flip your boards.” He sighed as he looked over the answers, before pausing at Atem’s. “‘Little one’? You call Yugi ‘little one’? When?” Yugi’s face turned red, though not from embarrassment as much as anger. Atem smirked. 

“From time to time.”

“No, no! You are both younger and shorter than me, that nickname makes no sense, I—!” Atem laughed loudly, placing a finger on Yugi’s lip to calm him. He shifted his other hand still holding the board, showing another answer.  _ Partner _ was written underneath. 

“I know how fond you are of that nickname,” he said as Yugi glared. “Yugi’s correct. I call him partner.” 

Joey shook his head with a grin. “Full of jokes today, huh, Atem? Anyways, ya’ll got them right.” As he wrote the final five points on his scorecard, Joey frowned. “Well, fuck. It’s a tie. That isn’t surprising, though. You two are like the definition of soulmates. I’ll have to think of something harder next time.” He paused for a second, pouting, before continuing on to wrap up his show. 

They all said farewell and made a few more jokes, before Joey closed off the stream. The friends shared a few more words before Atem and Yugi headed back towards their offices in KaibaCorp. 

As soon as they were out of sight, though, Yugi leaned up and kissed Atem’s cheek. “Thank you for doing this with me and with Joey. I think it was fun.” 

“It was, my love. We definitely do know each other very well.” He wrapped an arm around Yugi’s waist, pulling his to his side. “This wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it might have been.”

“I promised you it wouldn’t be,” Yugi said, leaning up to press another kiss to his face, though this one was on his jaw. Atem turned his face and kissed Yugi properly, relishing in the touch of his husband. 

Breaking apart, Yugi grinned impishly. “Kaiba, on the other hand, I may have lied to about tomorrow’s stream. You should tag along, too. Mokuba and I are going to play the Eat it or Wear it Challenge and we’re dragging Kaiba into our shenanigans. It’ll be fun.” 

Atem hesitated for a few seconds. He might get pulled into the event if he showed up. But at the same time… seeing Kaiba getting food poured on him was a beautiful thing he wouldn’t dare miss. 

“I’ll be there.” He smirked a little as he walked, brushing his fingers along Yugi’s back. “So… You enjoy the name  _ little one _ , huh?” 

“Atem, I swear to god…!” But Atem recognized the flush across his cheeks as desire, even though it was tinged with annoyance.

“I love you, too, little one.” He kissed Yugi’s red cheek. 

“Called me that  _ one time _ during a VR session and now…” 

“You seemed to like it when I was the Pharaoh saying it.” Yugi groaned, burying his face in his hands, muttering for Atem to shut up. Atem simply laughed, pressing a kiss to the side of his husband's head. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand another Draw the Squad Meme image. I can't help it. They're just fun. 
> 
> Also, the "little one" nickname. I 100% adore fanfictions that have Atem call Yugi that, but at the same time, I have no freaking clue where the name came from. I've searched through the manga seeing if Atem ever called him that and I've never seen it. I've never caught it in the anime, either, so does it actually come from canon somewhere? Does Atem call Yugi that at some point in the series and I've just missed it?? Or is it just fanon? If you know where the nickname came from, please comment and tell me.


	22. Unique

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi gets a bit excited by Atem's new magazine photos and it leads to an important conversation about their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year! Thank you everyone who has been commenting, by the way. I do plan on going back and replying to every single comment that I haven't replied to once I finish these final few chapters. I'm sorry; it's taking everything in me to just get these chapters done in a reasonable amount of time so that's why I haven't replied to them in a while. As soon as this advent is done, though, I'll properly reply to everyone I've missed. Give me like... three more days. 
> 
> Anyways, Yugi and Atem are back to dating in this chapter. Also, content warning. Smut chapter.

##  22: Unique

He knew Kaiba did this on purpose. Yugi couldn’t prove it, of course, but Atem being on a  _ throne _ in this new photoshoot? It had to be a throwback to him being a pharaoh. 

Of course, considering his new stage name had become the Pharaoh, it made sense that the shoot would involve thrones and kingly crowns. 

Yugi flushed hot all over, looking at the glossy pictures in the magazine. He hadn’t seen any of these images when Atem shot them and now, looking at his boyfriend in print… well, it was doing funny things to his stomach. He bit his lip hard, tracing the image of Atem. 

The pictures made his body feel like it was on fire. Atem was incredibly beautiful in the images; so powerful and sensual, even though he didn’t even try to be. It just seemed so effortless how perfectly confident and stunning he was. His beauty was so unique and one-of-a-kind; Yugi couldn’t even describe it. 

Gods, what he wouldn’t do to be on his knees in front of him, between those glorious thighs! 

Yugi jolted at the thought, feeling shame mix in with his arousal. He shouldn’t think like that about Atem. They had only been dating for three months and had never been sexually intimate like that before. Which was totally fine. Yugi had absolutely no intention of pressuring Atem for anything more right now because he completely understood that his partner didn’t really get off on attractiveness or anything like that. Atem was turned on more by emotional connections, which was why Yugi would never, ever, ever pressure Atem into sex if their bond wasn’t ready for it. He respected Atem too much to rush them. 

He groaned as the thoughts didn’t lessen the hard pressure in his crotch any. He wished his dick would really get the memo! 

Yugi palmed himself through his pants, willing his hard-on to go away. It didn’t feel right for him to jack-off to pictures of Atem. Yes, Atem was his boyfriend. Yes, he loved the man with every fiber of his being. Yes, he was hopelessly attracted to him. But it seemed…  _ wrong _ in some way for him to get-off on Atem. This wasn’t some nameless person, like with porn. This was  _ Atem _ .

Yugi felt his mouth go dry, though, as he continued to look at the images. He just… just to  _ imagine _ the feel of Atem’s dark ochre thighs wrapped around his hips… Or his beautiful pink lips opening and swallowing him… Or the way he might gasp Yugi’s name in the height of pleasure…

His hand slipped down his pants, gripping his erection. His stomach curled in some mixture of embarrassment, shame, desire, and relief. Atem wasn’t even home. It would be okay. Yugi could just… could just fantasize a little. He’d get off super quick, take a shower, and then pretend it hadn’t happened. Atem would  _ never _ know. 

He was leaking precum steadily, already so turned on. Just by some fucking pictures. Atem wasn’t even scantily clothed! But that come-hither look he had in his eye… Yugi moaned, rubbing himself slowly as he thought about it. 

His dick was straining so hard against his jeans, it was hurting. He popped the button and tugged his pants down just a little, hissing with relief when his dick was let free. He smeared the precum down his shaft, falling backwards on the bed with a moan. He didn’t even need lotion, he was so turned on. This was crazy. 

Yugi reached one hand up, tweaking a nipple, as he continued to rub himself off. He pretended it was Atem’s hand wrapped around him, his eyes smoldering as he planted kisses along Yugi’s throat. He would trail downwards before getting to one of his nipples and taking it into his mouth, sucking hard. 

“Oh, gods, Atem…” Yugi breathed, losing himself to the fantasy. His boyfriend would keep going after teasing his nipples long enough for Yugi to be a writhing, sweaty mess. He’d kiss downwards until he reached Yugi’s cock. And then… and then his beautiful pink mouth would circle around the head, enclosing him in the most velvety, moist heat Yugi had ever felt. All the while, Atem would be working himself open with his fingers, moaning around Yugi’s dick as he fingered his own hole.

And then, right before Yugi came down his throat, he’d pull back. He’d crawl over Yugi and whisper, “Fuck me, partner,” and impale himself on Yugi. 

Yugi tossed his head back at the image, releasing another moan. He was panting hard now, trembling as he imagined Atem riding him. Yugi’s hand shook, his motions becoming jerky as he approached his end quickly. Atem would chant his name, arching with pleasure, screaming out— 

“Yugi?”

—well, yes, screaming out his name, but not quite in that questioning tone. Yugi would have preferred more of a “Yugi!!” or “Yuugiii!” or even “Partner!!”. Any combination like that would have been better than a questioning— 

And then it all came to a screeching, horrifying halt as Yugi’s eyes snapped open and he realized that the voice  _ was not _ in his mind any longer. He had been so close to the edge but it died quickly, his hand slipping from his cock. He wasn’t even sure what to do. Scramble to put his jeans back on? Throw a sheet over his lower half? Pretend he hadn’t just been vigorously jacking himself off to the image of his boyfriend and moaning his name the entire time? 

He wasn’t sure what to do. So he simply froze, staring up to the ceiling and feeling his body flush so red, he thought he might pass out. Honestly, he really, really, really wanted to pass out to escape this entire situation. That seemed like the best solution.

“I um—I…” Yugi finally decided putting his junk away might be the best course of action. He tucked himself back into his jeans, dismayed to find himself still pretty hard even after being so humiliated. “Y-you’re home,” he finally mumbled, sitting up and staring intently at the bed. He couldn’t meet Atem’s eyes. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t think—” he couldn’t even get the words out, his voice dying in his throat. Gods, Yugi was so fucking mortified. 

He could hear Atem shifting from foot to foot in the doorway. “Y-you… you didn’t have to… to stop,” Atem finally mumbled. “I don’t mind and it’s just porn anywa—” Atem cut off abruptly and Yugi whipped his head up for the first time, seeing his boyfriend staring at the open magazine. 

Yugi inhaled sharply and did the first thing he could think of. He knocked the magazine behind him, pushing it to the other side of the bed and on the floor, where Atem couldn’t see it. As if that would make it any better.

“Was that my…? Were you…?” Yugi bowed his head in further shame, biting his lip so hard he was pretty sure he tasted blood. His lack of response seemed to be the confirmation Atem needed because he heard his boyfriend (though probably not for long) sigh out a breathless, “Oh, Yugi…” 

“Atem, I’m so, so sorry,” Yugi finally said, his voice raspy and choked with humiliated tears. He wished the bed would just swallow him up. 

He heard Atem walk closer but refused to look up, even as his boyfriend sat next to him. “You don't... You don't have to be embarrassed." Yugi clenched his eyes shut, praying that this conversation wasn't about to happen. He didn't even know what the conversation was. He just didn't want it. 

Atem seemed to sense that and paused. Finally, he spoke again, though it appeared from his tone, he had switched directions slightly. "You know… I find it  _ extremely _ flattering that you were getting off to pictures of me.” Yugi tensed, peeking out of his bangs at Atem. “And… Well…” he began to mumble, his face flushing as red as Yugi’s. “Well… you don’t have to stop. Or, you know, if you’re interested... we could, maybe—if you wanted, that is—you and I could…?” Atem cleared his throat, squaring his shoulders as he tried to fight through his own embarrassment. “I wouldn’t mind doing something together with you, if you wished it.”

Yugi finally looked at him fully, his eyes wide. “You’re not mad?” 

“Of course not. You turn me on, too, Yugi.” Atem raised an eyebrow at Yugi’s shock. “You think you didn’t?”

“Well, I just… I mean, I thought you needed an emotional connection?” Atem gave a wry twist of his lips, tilting his head. 

“You think we don’t have an emotional connection? Yugi, I’m madly in love with you. I have been for  _ years _ . Partner, the emotional connection is definitely there. You’ve been able to turn me on before we even started dating.” 

Yugi felt so much relief settle into his bones, he thought he might just pass out. Laughing, he covered his eyes and he fell backwards on the bed. “This entire time… I’ve been… I thought you didn’t like me like that just yet.” He shook his head, realizing he should have talked to Atem months ago about going further in their relationship. “You’re so important to me and I know our relationship is a bit unique so I never, ever, ever wanted to pressure you into more.” 

Atem leaned over, gently stroking Yugi’s face. “You could never, Yugi. If I’m not ready, I know I can tell you and you would never do anything to make me feel bad about slowing down. But I trust you, partner. I trust you so much that I’m absolutely willing to progress further.”

“You didn’t say anything,” Yugi whispered, though it wasn’t really accusingly. More curious. Atem nodded. 

“You’re right, I didn’t. I just assumed you would take the lead; I’m not sure about these relationships. Things worked… differently in Ancient Egypt, especially for a pharaoh. We didn’t really… date. It was just marriage and sexual relations were just assumed to be done. So I didn’t know when the appropriate time would be to be intimate or if you wanted to go further, either, and I didn’t want to pressure you any into moving forward when you didn’t want to. But now...” A grin played on Atem’s face and his hand trailed down Yugi’s chest, toying with his jeans’ button. It was still open from Yugi’s mad rush to tuck his dick back into his pants. Yugi leaned up slightly as Atem slowly crawled between his legs.

Yugi’s breath hitched as Atem’s fingers danced around the hem of his boxers. “Would you like to do more?” He asked, his thumb tracing Yugi's lips. Atem's smoldering gaze made Yugi feel a burst of excitement and confidence. He reached out and cupped Atem's butt cheek, squeezing ever so slightly. Atem's mouth opened and Yugi heard him inhale sharply at the touch and he slid closer to Yugi so they were chest-to-chest.

“Yes, please," Yugi answered, breathless. "I’d love to.” Atem's hand slipped into Yugi’s boxers as he straddled his boyfriend, kissing him. Yugi gave an open-mouthed groan at the sensation of Atem’s fingers gently touching his dick, feather-light. He was still so sensitive and now with all his embarrassment gone, he was turned on quickly again. There was no way Yugi would last long at all. 

Atem broke apart long enough to lift Yugi’s shirt and toss it off the bed. He returned to kissing him, while Yugi gleefully slipped his own hands up Atem’s tank top to rove his body. His muscles flexed instinctively underneath Yugi’s fingers and Yugi could feel him shiver underneath his touch. It made his dick twitch again in Atem's hand. This was  _ so much better _ than the pictures. 

Everything seemed to move really fast from there, sensations and heat blurring in Yugi’s brain. He managed to get Atem’s shirt off, while Atem removed his own pants and boxers and then Yugi’s. Yugi was too turned on to even feel self-conscious,  _ especially _ when Atem gave just the tiniest, teasing lick to his tip. It took everything in him not to come right then. 

“A-Atem, wait, wait, wait,” Yugi began, gasping for air as Atem gave him another long lick. Atem paused, raising up to look at Yugi. “H-how far did you want to go? All the way?” Atem’s eyes were tender as he leaned up to kiss Yugi. 

“Absolutely. I’d love to be one with you.” Yugi gave a shudder and a moan, collapsing back against the bed. 

“And, um, do you want me to, uhh, you know… do you want me to be…?” Yugi made a vague gesture that Atem clearly didn’t understand. He grimaced but pushed on. They had to talk about this. “Do you want me to be on top or you?”

Atem blinked. “On top… as in I ride you or as in I enter you?” 

“Uhm, either? Or I can be on top if you wanna lay down? Or I guess we could do it doggy-style and one of us is on our knees. I’ve read that isn’t a bad position for a first time. Neither is when the receiver rides the other. Both of those, you can go pretty slow and take it easy.” Yugi sat up a little, brushing his bangs away. He felt a ball of nervous energy blossoming in his chest and it was not the good, anticipation kind. It was the overwhelming kind. There was a lot of prep involved in butt sex and the idea of rushing into it so soon made his stomach a little queasy. 

He bit his lip before swallowing hard. “A-actually, do you mind if maybe we… work up to anal? Not that I don’t trust you or that I don’t want to do it or anything like that, but I just—I want to make sure we do it right. I don’t want it to be painful for either of us.” Atem’s eyes turned so much softer and he nodded. 

“That’s fine. We have all the time in the world, darling.” And with that, Atem pressed forward, kissing him. Yugi released a sigh, feeling his nervous energy dissipate. Of course he wanted to have sex with Atem but he wanted to build up to it slowly. He didn’t want to rush. 

Atem reach down, touching his cock and Yugi moaned into their kiss, arching up into his hand and body. Their cocks brushed together and both of them groaned. There was electricity that shot between them, lighting up their bodies. Yugi thrusted again, rubbing his dick against Atem’s. 

It felt so  _ good _ . He couldn’t even comprehend how amazing it felt. Atem slid back against him and the two spent the next several minutes rutting against each other desperately. Yugi wished it could have gone on forever but he had already been so close to the edge before Atem even came into the room, and now that his fantasy had come to life—no, it was  _ even _ better than fantasy—Yugi was a goner. He came with a hard gasp, shooting all over Atem and his own chest. 

Atem gave a few more thrusts before groaning Yugi’s name, pressing his mouth into the junction of Yugi’s neck and shoulder. Yugi felt something sticky and wet land on his stomach. He grinned, breathing heavily. 

His boyfriend didn’t seem to mind the mess as he collapsed on top of Yugi, snuggling into his neck.

“Better than the pictures?” Atem mumbled, nipping at the skin on Yugi’s neck. Yugi laughed, stroking Atem’s hair. 

“So much better. You are so much better in real life.” He hesitated for a few seconds before finally saying, “I’m sorry. I know you wanted to go further but I… I was nervous about going all the way before we had even messed around, uhm,  _ back there,  _ you know? I felt like we should sorta… work our way up? Find out what we both like.” Atem stroked his cheek, nodding. 

“Yugi, you never have to apologize to me for not wanting to do something you’re uncomfortable with. Besides, I agree. We should take it slow.” A smile curled on Atem’s lips. “And, you said it yourself. We have a unique bond. We don’t have to move at any other speed or timeline than what we ourselves set. We have time to figure out what we like and don’t like, after all.” 

He leaned up a little to see Yugi’s face. “But, if you’re game, I’m down for beginning our little experiment now. We’re already a mess, after all. Let’s get a little messier?” 

Yugi laughed and nodded. “I like the sound of that!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters left to go!


	23. Kaleidoscope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> KaibaCorp takes a stand against bullying and in true KaibaCorp fashion, they go over the top to promote their new campaign.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, almost done... 
> 
> Yugi and Atem are married in this chapter. Also, because I never really specify in this chapter, the Millennium World DLC Yugi was working on back in chapter 14 was turned into a full-fledged game by Kaiba. He liked it enough that he made Yugi create an entire game for it.

## 23: Kaleidoscope

When Ryou came to him with the idea, Mokuba was honestly extremely surprised. He hadn’t thought these sort of issues mattered to the man, but Mokuba was quickly proven wrong when Ryou laid out the entire situation.

“And I’m tired of no one making a statement! This is unacceptable and I want to throw our support behind him. I want KaibaCorp to make a statement. To do something… big.” Mokuba tilted his head, thinking it over. It was rare when Ryou actually asked them of something, especially something like this. Seto would have likely rejected the idea outright but Mokuba kind of liked it. He definitely appreciated Ryou’s enthusiasm and intention.

But this was still a corporation and Mokuba had to weigh the pros and cons of doing something that was so controversial. “I want to do this, Ryou. But let me think about how before I go to Seto with this. Give me a little bit of time to figure this out.” Ryou had smiled and thanked him.

It really hadn’t taken him much time at all, though. As soon as Mokuba told Yugi and Atem about Ryou’s idea, they were on board. And with Yugi at his side, Mokuba was reasonably sure they could convince Seto to do anything.

With his usual ferocity to do the right thing, Yugi tackled the project with Mokuba like the champ he was. He pulled Ryou back into the mix, dragged in Joey, Atem, and Duke—all of whom were also fired up for the entire idea—to decide on a plan of action before marching into Seto Kaiba’s office with their proposal.

“I hate bullies, Kaiba. You know that. And we have a chance to make a difference here. I’ve talked to the boy and his mother directly and they are so honored we would do this. And I’m tired of these stories, Kaiba. I want to change people's attitudes. We’re KaibaCorp, damn it! Let’s use our influence for good,” Yugi finished, leaning forward on Seto's desk to see the taller man eye-to-eye. Yugi was probably the only employee who could get away with touching his desk like that; but then again, Yugi's pose wasn't really coming across as challenging Seto's authority as much as it was showing that he was eager for Seto to do the right thing. 

His big brother had hesitated, but only briefly. Mokuba had realized that in their older age, Seto was far more willing to take a stand and even potentially risk his company if it meant doing what Seto considered to be the right thing. Granted, Seto's morals were still often skewed and rather gray of most things, but this situation wasn't one of them. He nodded.

“But we’re going to make this big. KaibaCorp doesn’t just donate to charity. And we don’t just make statements. If we’re doing this, we’re doing this KaibaCorp style. Yugi, you will program new DLC packs for every game offering alternate clothes for every character model. Those will be free additions. Then create special DLC—promo ones—where we can use the funds to donate. I want them for every major game: Capsule Monsters VR, Dungeon Dice Monsters VR, Spherium II, Monster World VR, and Millennium World.” Yugi grinned and nodded. But Seto wasn’t done.

“Wheeler, I want this livestreamed on your channel. Make announcements about it. As soon as Mokuba has a time hammered down, we’re getting this to the Kaiba Dome and you’re going to start promoting this thing asap on your channel.”

“Righto, boss man!”

“Devlin, I’m putting you in charge of hard copy versions. While Yugi works on the DLC packages, I want you to get arranged special editions for the game board versions. As well as for Duel Monsters. Get new character figurines out for Capsule Monsters, Spherium, Dungeon Dice Monsters, and Monster World. I’ll work with Industrial Illusions about creating special cards for the promotion but I want you overseeing special edition card sleeves, booster packs, game mats, and anything else you can think of. I’ll get special edition Duel Disks started and released asap, too.”

Seto’s head swiveled to Ryou. “You came up with this idea. You’re in charge of character designs. I want those done asap so you can get those to Devlin and Yugi. Meanwhile, you’ll be working with our fashion division to create costumes for all of us to wear at the showcase to show our support. Then I want an entirely new fashion line to come out of this, too. This will be the only thing we’ll take part profit from—but some of the proceeds will go to charity. Pharaoh, you’re the fashionable one, if all your magazine shoots are to go by. Work with Ryou and help him design the clothes.”

“And me, Big Bro?” Mokuba asked, raising an eyebrow. “Am I arranging all the promotions?”

“Yes. Once you have dates from Yugi, Ryou, and Devlin about how long production will take, get this settled. I am also making you the spokesperson here, Mokuba. And I want the family that sparked this there, too. If you find anymore relevant stories, get those, too. If KaibaCorp is getting involved with a political issue like this, then we’re going to make it _huge_. So big, no one can ignore it.”

Mokuba grinned, nodding. There was a lot of daunting work ahead, but all of them there were enthused about the idea. “And the title? What should we call this project?”

Seto thought for a few seconds before finally saying, “Kaleidoscope.”

“Ah,” Yugi nodded, impressed. “To represent all the colors in a spectrum that reflect a person’s identity?” Seto smirked.

“Exactly.”

“Okay team!” Joey began, clapping his hands together. “Project Kaleidoscope is a go! Let’s go make a difference!”

* * *

To get everything done and arranged in only two months was a record. It was a massive undertaking—new DLC, new figurines, new clothing line, and even special edition Duel Disks and Duel Disk skins. But it was done and ready to go for launch. 

And all the while, Joey had been drumming up support, while also gathering new stories to discuss at the launch event. Even Seto was impressed with Joey’s initiative to bring in their customer’s stories into his livestream. For a few weeks, he had been asking his fans for their stories about bullying and then discussing them with the crowd, making statements about how wrong it is. He would play games online with the victims, telling them how life would get better and how the bullies were so wrong. Mokuba had arranged for several of those fans to come to the launch event.

It was definitely shaping up to be huge. They had been promoting for all two months and all the seats for the Dome had sold out. Not only that, they had sold out of all tickets for Kaiba Land general passes for the park, too. On the day of the event, everything around Kaiba Land was packed; even news media crews were there to see what this Project Kaleidoscope was all about. Many outlets had gotten the rumor that it was an anti-bullying project of somesort but no one knew the full details.

The seven of them going on stage arrived at the Dome early in the morning to prepare, going through sound checks and testing all the technical aspects of the presentation. They explained what they were going to talk about with their guests and prepped them for their parts in the show. And then they spent hours getting dressed and made up in their costumes. At 3:00 prompt, Mokuba signaled for his other coworkers to head on out. It was time for Project Kaleidoscope to be revealed to the world.

The crowd response was deafening; as soon as they caught sight of Yugi, Seto, Atem, and Joey, they went absolutely wild. But then, as the crowd took in their appearances and what they were wearing, their screams turned somehow louder? Mokuba wasn’t sure how to describe it. It was a different feeling, though. Almost like they were being laughed at. 

Perfect. That attitude was exactly what they were trying to combat.

Mokuba came to the center of the stage, Yugi and Ryou both standing beside him. The rest of their group stood behind them in a semi circle. Mokuba tapped the KaibaCorp mic on his earpiece on, greeting everyone with a loud, “Hello, Domino City! Welcome to the Kaleidoscope Project!”

He was greeted with more excited shouts before the audience calmed down. “We’re here today to announce a special project that is very close to all of our hearts here at KaibaCorp.” Mokuba paused, looking down at his outfit. “As you can see, we all dressed up for the occasion. But,” he began his tone turning soft and stern, “we aren’t doing this for humor. We aren’t doing this so that everyone can go, ‘Oh look! The King of Games and CEO of KaibaCorp are in skirts!’ No. We’re wearing these Magician Girl costumes proudly and to show support.”

The crowd fell silent as Mokuba gestured behind him. None of the men behind him showed any awkwardness, not even his older brother, in their costumes. Yugi wore the long dress of the Silent Magician replicating the design exactly, including the cut outs on his hips that exposed large parts of his thighs. Atem happily wore the costume of his favorite female magician: the Dark Magician Girl. He didn’t look the slightest bit uncomfortable with the short skirt, which was amazing, because truly, the skirt was so short, it was borderline indecent. If Atem bent over, his entire ass would be exposed. 

Briefly, Mokuba thanked every god available that Yugi had made sure everyone wore the tight booty shorts underneath their skirts so that nothing would be exposed to the public. 

Seto and Joey wore the Lemon and Apple Magician Girl costumes, while Duke had on the Kiwi Magician Girl outfit, and Ryou wore the Chocolate Magician Girl outfit. The only costume really modified was Mokuba’s, as he wasn’t too keen on wearing some semblance of a diaper for the Berry Magician Girl. Instead, he wore high-waisted shorts with legs that that barely covered his hips. The rest of his outfit was made up of thigh-high boots and shoulder-length gloves.

“You see, the point of this project is to show our solidarity with kids and youth who are being bullied and mistreated for simply being who they are. One of our designers was made aware of the story of a nine-year-old boy who was harassed and bullied from classmates, even being sent home from school, after he decided to wear a Silent Magician’s outfit during their school’s costume party for Halloween. Silent Magician was this boy’s favorite card and he wanted to show how much he loved the card by dressing up like her; but because he was a boy, he was treated cruelly by his classmates.” Mokuba scoffed, shaking his head in disgust.

“We’re tired of it. We’re tired of these stories—we’re so tired of hearing of boys being bullied because they wear skirts or dresses or nail polish or makeup or anything that seems vaguely feminine. We’re tired of girls being told that it’s ‘just a phase’ or ‘they just haven’t met the right man yet’ when they come out as anything but straight. We’re tired of parents mistreating their children because they are trans or gay or some other sexuality that isn’t straight. We’re tired of asexuality being ignored. We’re tired of boys and girls being picked on and bullied for being different—for simply being themselves. So KaibaCorp is taking a stand. We’re telling these kids, hey, it’s okay to be yourself; there is _nothing_ wrong with you. And when your environment makes it not okay to be yourself, we want to help. We want to do whatever we can to help.”

Mokuba shook his head, glancing back at Yugi and Atem, then looking over at his brother and Joey. “On this stage behind me, we have so many men of different sexualities and with a vast array of life experiences. And as we took on this project and learned about our fans and their life experiences, we realized that people could benefit from hearing that there are more people out there like them. So KaibaCorp is coming out. We’re here in front of you showing who we are. We're showing you that there are more colors out there besides blue and pink; that there is a rainbow—a kaleidoscope, if you will—of gender identities and sexual orientations and those are normal, too. This is Project Kaleidoscope—we want to give you a lens to look into and see those colors and know that there are others out there like you.”

He took a deep breath. Mokuba had made sure beforehand that everyone on stage was comfortable with him talking about them. All the men had agreed. But still, revealing things so personal about themselves was not easy.

“I understand it first-hand how necessary it was to find someone like me. When I was a teenager, I struggled with my sexuality because I wasn’t… _normal._ I wasn’t like other boys; I didn't date, I didn't want to have sex, I didn't find girls or guys or anyone sexually attractive. It wasn’t until I talked to Yugi that I found a word to identify myself and realized that I wasn’t alone. That there were others like me. That, out of everyone, Atem was like me.” 

Mokuba had been seventeen when he had confided into Yugi about how he thought he was different from other boys his age. He hadn’t felt comfortable going to Seto about it, since Seto never seemed to express interest in relationships at all, and Mokuba _did_ want a relationship at some point. He was scared to bring it up with Seto; but with Yugi, it was so much easier to confide into him. He wasn’t judgmental and he was so approachable.

He had expressed how he had noticed he had never found anyone really attractive. Other boys his age were always talking about how this girl was so hot or that girl was gorgeous, but Mokuba couldn’t wrap his head around it. Mokuba didn’t want to have sex with anyone; the idea of just seeing someone and going, “Yeah, I want to bang them,” well, it was beyond him. It was almost repulsive to him. Still, at the same time, he wasn’t against sex as a whole. With the right person, he could see himself being sexually active, but it had to be someone special and someone he was close to. 

Yugi had smiled after Mokuba was finished and said the words that he needed to hear the most: “There is nothing wrong with you, Mokuba.” Mokuba had felt like a ball of anxiety had broken when Yugi said those words. “If anything, you sound like Atem. I think you may be demisexual, like he is. It just means you need an emotional connection before you experience any sexual attraction to someone. And that’s totally fine. You should talk to him if you have questions—he can definitely answer better than I can. But I can tell you as someone dating a demisexual, there is nothing wrong with it. We have a wonderful relationship.”

Now, it was time for Mokuba to say those same words to some other youth that may need to hear it. “Atem and I are known as demisexuals. We only experience sexual attraction to someone we form an emotional bond with. But you know what? Our orientation—there is _nothing_ wrong with it. There is nothing wrong with _us._ We both have wonderful partners and are in fantastic relationships. Atem and Yugi have been married for almost ten years now. And I’ve been dating my amazing girlfriend, Serenity, for almost three years now.”

He gestured towards Yugi. “Yugi is bisexual and my girlfriend is straight, but they're still in relationships with demisexuals.” Mokuba pointed to Ryou next. “Ryou is gay.” He spun towards Duke. “Duke identifies as pansexual, but just like Yugi, he likes all genders. Joey is bisexual, too. And my big brother? He’s asexual. But even with this array of sexualities, we all have different relationships and some of us have no partners. And that’s totally normal, too.” Mokuba smiled, extending his arms out as if to encompass everyone behind him. “We’re all on various points of the sexuality spectrum. And we’re here to show you that you can be happy no matter who you are.”

Mokuba nodded back towards his brother. “My big brother doesn’t experience any sexual attraction. But you know what? He’s still in a relationship with Joey; they’ve been dating for years and it works. Ryou prefers not to be in a relationship; same with Duke. They are both perfectly happy being single. And you know what? That’s totally normal and fine, too. No one needs to have a significant other to be _normal_.” Mokuba rolled his eyes. “You see, what is normal for one person isn’t normal for another. It’s fine to be different. But we know that sometimes, your environment makes it dangerous for you to come out or be yourself. Sometimes it’s your parents. Sometimes it’s your school. Sometimes it’s your friends or peers. And while oftentimes, those hostile environments are out of your control, KaibaCorp has decided that it can try to lend a helping hand to lessen that type of hostility. We can’t fix everyone. But we can sure as hell try to make life just a little better for others.”

He took another deep breath, gesturing back at their outfits. “You don’t have to be gay or straight or even trans to want to wear different clothes. You guys want to know something? Atem wears skirts and dresses all the time. He’s a cisgendered man, totally secure in his masculinity, and he enjoys wearing makeup and things noted as feminine.” Atem nodded in confirmation. “But have you ever seen Atem? He’s fucking amazing. He’s an amazing duelist. He’s a fantastic person. He’s a totally devout father and such a loving husband, it’s almost sickeningly sweet to watch. His choice of clothing preferences doesn’t make him any different—doesn't make him somehow _less_ than someone else.”

Yugi stepped forward at Mokuba’s nod, tapping his own microphone to speak. “This is what we’re trying to push for. We want to break these boundaries that limit people; we want to redefine what _normal_ is and show that there are people like us, people like _you_ , all around. And we want to lead by example. We want to show not just children and teens and young adults that their sexuality or gender identity or even what type of clothes they prefer to wear doesn’t invalidate who they are, but we also want to show that same message to parents. Because, you know what? It’s fucking hard to come out to your parents.” He took a deep breath and Mokuba watched his eyes flicker to his children sitting in the front row.

Téa had flown in from America to see this; she was holding Yugi’s daughter, while his mother was bouncing his son on her leg. Both of them were nodding encouragingly at Yugi. Atem seemed to sense his husband’s pain and came forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. Téa noticed Yugi staring at them and whispered something in their children's ears; both kids lifted their hands and waved happily, yelling for their dads. Yugi smiled, waving back, while Atem blew both kids kisses. The tension in Yugi's body loosened.

“I get it,” Yugi finally said. “I get not having a parent accept you. My father works overseas. I haven’t seen him since I was fourteen, but as a child, I was always so desperate to please him. I wanted so badly to make him proud. Even when I became an adult, that desire to hear him say, ‘You’ve done good, Son,’ was always there. I couldn’t shake it, even with my amazing mom and Grandpa and friends and boyfriend all accepting me for who I was. I just always craved that affirmation from him.” He gave a broken smile.

“I never got it. I spoke to my father about a month after I announced my engagement to Atem. It was the first time he had spoken to me almost a year—which was a miracle itself, because he hadn’t spoken to me for four years before that. On that phone call, he told me he was… he was ashamed to call me his son. He said that I had dishonored his name by trying to marry another male and that he would disown me if I went through with my marriage. It was… one of the worst moments of my life. Every nightmare I ever had about coming out was coming true.” Yugi blinked away his tears, while Atem wrapped him in a backhug, resting his chin on Yugi’s shoulder.

“I was lucky, though, because my mother and grandfather still love me and accept me, and my husband, and our children. I was able to stand strong and tell my father I didn’t care about his opinion and that he was no longer welcome into my life. But I’m fortunate to have that ability—I was an adult and still had a support system. There are so many youth out there trapped in bad situations, hiding who they are. We can’t save everyone. We all know that. But KaibaCorp can at least put our money where our mouth is and work to help support the agencies and the people that do help those kids in trapped situations.”

He nodded back towards Mokuba, who stepped forward again. Behind them, the screens lit up with their new products. “That’s why, starting today, we’re releasing special edition DLC packs, special figurines, limited edition Duel Disks, and a brand new KaibaCorp clothing line! We want to make it normal in games for boys to wear skirts or dresses, or girls to wear pants and armor, or for there to be a gender neutral option so no one has to conform to the gender binary! We want to give everyone the chance to express themselves freely in our games and this was how we decided to do it.”

The screen flashed first with the DLC packs, showing a variety of new costumes for the Magicians of the various games. “As you can see, we’ve created the option of swapping female and male clothing, as well as creating a more neutral option. This extends to every class in the games, not just the Magician line. These are all free options, too. The purchasable DLC, though, will be color swaps, more elaborate costumes that Ryou and Yugi personally designed, and a few costume swaps from various games. So, if for example, you’ve always want to dress the Pharaoh from Millennium World as the Dark Magician Girl costume from Spherium II, you can now do that with these new DLC packs.”

Mokuba clicked his arm piece, switching the screen to the next images of figurines. It had recognizable characters, like the Dark Magician, as well as models that looked strikingly familiar to Atem’s Pharaoh character or Yugi’s Heba character. “New figurines available for the board game versions of Monster World, Spherium, Dungeon Dice Monsters, and Capsule Monsters! The Dark Magician is dressed like his pupil and the Dark Magician Girl is dressed as her teacher. We also have a special Millennium World figurine set that does come with alternate outfits. The monster creatures have alternate colors and rainbow versions of themselves, too, to match our Kaleidoscope project theme.”

He paused, letting Joey step forward to brandish one of Kaiba’s new Duel Disks. It was silver but the lights were all multicolored, while the large powersource light nearest to the elbow was designed to glow like a kaleidoscope. Seto also stepped forward, showing off his Deluxe Duel Disk. The lights on his elbow and shoulder piece were colored purple, while wires that connected the lights glowed silver. The Duel Disk was black with white highlights. It was the colors of the asexuality flag.

“We have several new Duel Disks styles available. You can find them in our Kaleidoscope style, or in various colors representing the different LGBTQIA+ flags. My big bro is wearing the asexuality colored Deluxe Duel Disk, while Joey has our Kaleidoscope version in the basic model.”

Mokuba grinned enthusiastically as Kaiba and Joey showed off the Duel Disks. “The best part of all of this? All proceeds will go straight to charitable organizations that aid LGBTQIA+ youth. We’re serious when we said we want to help. We’re not here to make a profit on these items. 100% goes to charity. We’ll use the profit we make on our normal items to fund the production of these special edition goods.”

It was hard to read the crowd. They all seemed in shock, though there were definitely some diehard fans of the new products; Mokuba was still getting some pretty vocal response from the stadium after each announcement. Good. There had been a fear of alienating some of their fanbase but all of them had decided to take that risk and push forward with the project anyways.

“Finally, our last line of items—introducing our Kaleidoscope fashion line! You’ve seen our KaibaCorp exclusive clothing before; the sleek coats, elaborate shirts with too many buckles, tight leather pants, collars and chains, and a multitude of Blue Eyes White Dragon inspired clothes. This is something completely different. Atem, I’ll turn it over to you.”

Atem tapped on his mic, grinning at the crowd who cheered for him. Even though he wasn’t nearly as active in the dueling circuits anymore, he was still a crowd favorite. “The Kaleidoscope line is for all people. We have clothes for whatever you’re feeling: gender neutral, feminine, or masculine. Mix and match the clothes to your delight! We have seventeen various colors and patterns, all of which are available in every style of clothes we could offer: dresses, skirts, pants, tank tops, shorts, one-piece bodices, sweaters, suits, jackets, hoodies, sweatpants—we have as many varieties as possible to fit whatever your needs might be. After all, I know first hand that sometimes you want to wear short, flowy skirts and lacy tops, an other days, you want to wear comfortable sweats and a relaxing T-shirt. With this line, you can do both.”

“This is the only line that won’t have all 100% going to charity,” Mokuba admitted. “We want to be totally transparent about this, though. Because it is an entire line of brand new clothing, we have to be able to cover costs of production. Still, 40% of all proceeds from every Kaleidoscope branded article sold will go to charity.”

“We hope,” Yugi cut in, smiling gently, “that you will support us in the endeavor. We want to help others and we’re hoping you will, too, as well as show other companies it’s okay to stand for what is right. And representing every different identity and showing kids that they are normal—that normal is really just a kaleidoscope of different things—is what is right.”

The applause was immediate. Mokuba felt his chest loosen with relief.

“Now, it wouldn’t be a KaibaCorp promotion without a duel of somesort!” Joey screeched, grinning wildly. “We don’t aim to disappoint! It’s been a few years since they competed officially, but for the first time in three years, all four of us will duel again! Kaiba, Atem, Yugi; are you ready?!”

This time, the roar from the crowd nearly bowled them over. Ever since releasing Millennium World when Yugi was 30, right before he got his daughter, he had stepped back from the dueling circuit. When he was 31, after 15 years of reigning undefeated as the King of Games, Yugi had officially stepped down as the world Duelist champion, allowing someone else to take his place.

Everyone still called him the King of Games, though. The title had never been given out since, even though it had been almost three years since he had retired. Since then, Yugi had focused only on designing games and his role at KaibaCorp. He hadn’t participated in a public duel since his official resignation.

With him, though, Seto and Atem had also pulled out of the dueling circuit. Seto was a shoo-in for world champion, but he refused the title, as he had never been able to beat Yugi (he had beaten Atem on a few very rare occasions) and Yugi, being his greatest rival and goal, was the only reason he had really continued to push as long as he did. Seto still dueled in public battles occasionally but normally only to defeat the current world champion in special battles. Unsurprisingly, he kicked their asses.

Atem, the Pharaoh, had retired as soon as they had their first child. He had explained that he may return to the dueling circuit once their children were old enough to travel with him, but for the time being, it was more important to him to be a father. Much like Seto, his only recorded losses were against Yugi, Seto, and Joey. He, too, had only made a rare battle appearance over the past four years since retiring at 30. Normally, it was only for special promotions for new items or for Joey’s show.

Joey was the only one who semi-actively participated in the dueling circuit anymore, but even then, it was clear he just didn’t have as much fun doing it without his friends and rivals. He was also such a legendary figure that most of his competitors psyched themselves out fighting him. Still, Joey enjoyed joining small tournaments and appearing in random events just for fun, normally allowing whoever he beat to move forward in tournaments. He had done that twice with the world championship, technically winning it but refusing the title and giving it to his opponent.

“We also all argued about who to team up with who, so since none of of us can agree, you’re going to get three two-on-two duels and one final free-for-all duel with all four of us! Can you handle that, Domino City?!” Mokuba was reasonably sure at least two people passed out from screaming so loudly. He also thought his eardrums had busted.

The first match was Joey and Yugi versus Atem and Seto. It was hilarious to watch, as his big brother and Atem snarked back and forth with each other, while Joey and Yugi pulled the most bizarre combos out of their ass that made it seem like they were playing it by the seats of their pants.

They weren’t, of course. Joey’s gambling style of playing worked to Yugi’s advantage, as he knew how to plan around Joey’s off-the-wall strategies. He crafted genius plans to work with Joey, and though it seemed that Atem and Seto were clearly going to be the winners since most of Joey and Yugi’s dangerous strategies ended with them losing copious amounts of life points, right at the end, Yugi pulled out a carefully planned trap (clearly turns in the making) that decimated Seto and Atem with Joey’s cards.

The first win went to Yugi and Joey.

The next battle had Yugi and Seto teaming up against Joey and Atem. Seto’s pure power deck was reinforced by Yugi’s clever strategies, while Atem and Joey did their damndest to pull the rug out from Seto and Yugi. Atem tended to rely on tricks and illusions, pretending to be backed into a corner, only to have lulled his opponent into a trap; however, he was still an ardent gambler, just like Joey. Yugi and Seto were both strategists through and through, and Yugi could easily predict Atem’s tricks. Joey was a little harder for Yugi to predict (since Joey really didn’t _plan_ ahead, exactly) but Seto’s overwhelming power was a perfect foil to Joey. With Yugi reinforcing Seto and out-trapping Atem’s traps, Seto was able to destroy Joey’s tactics.

Once more, the battle ended in Yugi’s favor, as he and Seto defeated Atem and Joey.

Then it was couple versus couple. Unfortunately, unlike the other two battles that didn’t have clear winners, it was extremely obvious who would win this fight. Yugi and Atem didn’t even need to communicate verbally; their moves were so seamless in strengthening each other and playing off of each others traps, that it almost looked like they were one person with two decks. Joey and Seto didn’t stand a fucking chance. Atem and Yugi simply slaughtered them.

They paused the duels to give the four men a break, using the time to bring out the children and teens to tell their stories. Ryou, Duke, and Mokuba sat down with them, talking through the bullying stories. After talking through everything and asking what else could be done to help others like them, they gave the kids some of their new products, before wrapping up.

Finally, the most anticipated duel of the day to close out the event. It was a free for all and honestly, for most of the duel, Mokuba was sure Yugi was going to lose. All three of his opponents clearly targeted him, trying to get him out first.

But Yugi was as slippery as water. He deflected attacks onto the other players, playing extremely defensive for the majority of the battle. Joey was the first to go out, as one of his gambles he tried against Yugi backfired horribly and cut his lifepoints over halfway. Seto saw the opportunity and took it, knocking him out.

After that, Mokuba had expected it to come down to Yugi and Atem, but surprisingly enough, his brother managed to pull off a trap that shattered Atem’s defenses. Yugi had the option of knocking Atem from the game or targeting Seto and he actually picked his husband. He had smiled and apologized, cheekily asking his husband not to be mad at him, before sending his Silent Magician to finish off Atem’s lifepoints.

Then it was Seto and Yugi battling it out, at least until Yugi summoned Gandora-X and wiped out Seto's monsters. They swapped card effects and trap and spell cards back and forth on the turn, reminding Mokuba of their duel way back before Yugi had graduated high school, during that whole Diva fiasco thing. Much like that duel, Yugi ended the duel with summoning his Dark Magician back from the Graveyard and attacking Seto. This time, though, the duel didn't get interrupted right before Seto's lifepoints hit 0; his health dropped to nothing and Yugi was declared the winner.

Even though he was longer reigning as the King of Games, Yugi was still undefeated, defending a title he didn’t even technically have.

After the duel, Mokuba gave a few more announcements to wrap up the event, finally reminding everyone to buy their new products, before dismissing them.

He sighed sighed in relief as he turned off his mic, watching the stands begin to clear. Mokuba was honestly really ready to go home. The event had been an emotional one and he felt so drained.

Before he could go much further, though, he was nearly run over by two very excited children running onto the stage, yelling, “Papa! Daddy! You were on the big screens! You won!!” The smiles Yugi and Atem gave as they saw their children made something warm blossom through Mokuba’s body.

Atem swung his son up into his arms, while Yugi hefted their daughter up, raining hugs and kisses on the excited children. The two children laughed in sheer delight before hugging their fathers tightly.

It was for people like Yugi and Atem and their children that they were throwing events like this. That they were coming out in support of LGBTQIA+ rights. Atem and Yugi were wonderful fathers, loving and so caring to their children. Mokuba and Seto had a shitty father—he knew what a terrible parent looked like and Yugi and Atem weren’t that.

Because children deserved to grow up happy and loved, and people like Yugi and Atem deserved the chance to give children that type of love. That was why they were doing things like this.

Mokuba could only hope it made the change they wanted. Even if it was only a small one, only one step at a time, even if it only helped one kid, well, then they had succeeded.

But looking at the dynamite force that was behind Project Kaleidoscope, Mokuba had a feeling it was going to be a much bigger success than just helping one kid. No, KaibaCorp was going to change the world. And this was just the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can pry the headcanon that Atem is demisexual from my cold, dead hands. 
> 
> Final chapter coming as soon as I write it haha


	24. Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their first child was strangely enough a surprise. Their second one, not so much. Their third was planned but the fourth was a shocking addition. And Yugi wouldn't change his family for the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YIKES. It's been a while. I'm sorry. This chapter was long to write, I got hung up on a lot of stupid research tangents for it because that's just how I am, and this past week has simply killed me in real life. I've had this chapter pretty much done since Monday-Tuesday but had absolutely no time to post it. 
> 
> On another note, hopefully the length makes up for the wait. I think this advent was supposed to be more drabble-length size for chapters. This is definitely the length of a legit chapter for a fanfiction. We're at almost 11K words and 24 pages in Google Docs. I also made a bonus chapter that I'll be uploading as soon as I finish posting this one and editing it. It is really short but it's pretty much just a tiny epilogue-ish bonus. I wrote it because I can't stand ending a story with a chapter count that's not on a number that ends in 0 or 5. 24 chapters just makes me feel icky, so we get 25. 
> 
> Oh, last thing. There is one smut scene in this chapter. If you're not crazy about reading sex scenes, just skip over it and go to the next divider line. I don't think there is anything really plot relevant in it.

##  24: Present

Their first child was unexpected; which, really, was ridiculous because he and Atem couldn’t even have children so for it to be unplanned seemed ludicrous. But it was true. They didn’t even get a full nine months to plan for a baby like other unexpected pregnancies. Instead, they got five months. 

It all started the night his younger sister showed up at his apartment. That night, he wasn’t even home; Yugi had been out of town to meet with one of the subsidiary plant managers for KaibaCorp. Kaiba was in America, settling some licensing agreements and whatnot for Yugi’s release for Millennium World, and Mokuba was sick with the flu. So when a massive problem came up with one of their plants, Kaiba had called Yugi and demanded he go take care of it. 

So off he went, settling the crisis. He was only gone two days—short enough time that Atem hadn’t even gotten too sick yet from their separation—but on his train ride back, he got the alarming call from his husband at 3 am stating, “Your sister just showed up. I can’t understand much—we’re playing a game of my broken Mandarin, her broken Japanese, and very rough English to communicate—but I think your father kicked her out. And I think she’s pregnant.” 

He prayed with everything in him that Atem meant Youxi. He knew logically, it couldn't be. Youxi spoke nearly fluent Japanese. Still, Yugi said, “But Youxi is twenty-two. She’s an adult.” 

“It’s Yunqi.” Yugi winced. His youngest sister was barely seventeen. She had a year to go before she was considered an adult in Hong Kong, and even then, if she was unmarried, it wasn’t like she had a lot of options with a baby. 

“I’m on the train home now. I should be there in about an hour. We’ll talk then.” 

Since meeting his siblings five years prior, Yugi had kept in contact with them and tried to meet up with them once or twice a year. He liked his siblings well enough but it was still difficult to communicate with his two youngest siblings since they didn’t really share a common language. Typically, Youxi would play translator for them, converting Japanese to Cantonese or Mandarin for their younger siblings. However, when it came to it, English was another alternative that all of them spoke, though the youngest ones didn’t speak it fluently like Yugi and Atem.

They did manage to pull the story out of Yunqi, though, after several hours of communicating in her broken English. Her boyfriend had gotten her pregnant and she hadn’t found out until she was thirteen weeks along; after ten weeks, it became increasingly difficult to get a legal abortion in Hong Kong—a process that was already excruciatingly difficult. Her boyfriend panicked when she told him and left her, telling her he didn’t want a child and definitely wouldn’t marry her. He told her to go to the Mainland to get an abortion. 

Yunqi had gone to her older sister next, begging for help. She really didn’t want an abortion but knew their father would kill her if he found out about the pregnancy. Youxi, though, was getting ready to travel abroad to America to study. She tried to help as much as possible but after two weeks of trying to get an abortion in Hong Kong, Youxi realized that their only option was to go across the border to Shenzhen in Mainland China. The problem was, though, that abortions in Mainland China could be risky if they didn't know what they were looking for. While the procedure was common enough, they couldn't necessarily go through the legal channels in the Mainland and had to rely on clinics since they were Hong Kong citizens. That was where the risk came in, though. Some abortion clinics could be perfectly reasonable and safe, while others were dangerous and unsanitary. Yunqi was terrified that they would choose wrong. 

At the abortion clinic, Yunqi had a panic attack and refused the procedure. She told Youxi to take her home; they argued back and forth but even Youxi had to admit the clinic seemed sketchy, especially when they were told to give more money than what was originally advertised for the procedure. That had been the drawing line and Yunqi refused to go any further with the process. When they returned home, though, Yunqi’s boyfriend had told his parents who had told Yunqi’s parents that she was pregnant. 

Needless to say, Yunqi’s decision to not terminate had Yugi’s father apoplectic with rage. Much like he had done to Yugi, he threatened to disown Yunqi if she didn’t go back to Shenzhen or somewhere else in the Mainland and get rid of the baby. He would not be further dishonored by his child being an unmarried, teenage girl. And she had to get rid of the baby before she started showing or before anyone else knew.

Unlike Yugi, though, who had his mother and grandfather to support him when his father disowned him for marrying Atem, Yunqi’s only viable support was Youxi—who was leaving to go to a foreign country halfway across the world. Her mother agreed with her father and demanded Yunqi get an abortion or she would be kicked out of the house. Yunqi absolutely refused, though, terrified of going back to that decrepit abortion clinic in Shenzhen. She didn’t want to have an abortion in the first place; she would prefer to just give the baby up for adoption.

Youxi, while she didn't necessarily agree with Youxi's decision, understood her sister’s plight and finally decided to help get her out of Hong Kong to let her have the baby elsewhere. She spent a week with Yunqi getting an Extended-Stay Visa for Japan; once the visa was approved, she and Yunqi left. Under the guise of taking her to Mainland China to get an abortion, they instead packed up her belongings, went to the airport, and Youxi sent her off to Japan to be safe with their older brother for the duration of the pregnancy. 

Yugi was admittedly frustrated with Youxi’s solution. While he appreciated his sister’s trust in him to do the right thing by taking care of his sister, he would have appreciated a call to discuss this before he had a pregnant teenager unceremoniously dumped on him and his husband. Especially considering they had enough foresight to plan for a visa but never thought to tell  _ him _ what was going on.

Nonetheless, he and Atem took her in, though they called Youxi the next morning to talk about their options. Youxi apologized for what she had done but she thought it was wrong to force Yunqi to get an abortion when she didn’t want one; leaving her home with their father was out of the question, though. She admitted she should have talked to Yugi and Atem before doing all this but she and Yunqi had panicked and just assumed Yugi would take Yunqi in—they didn’t even consider the idea he wouldn’t. She was hoping Yunqi could stay in Japan for the duration of the pregnancy, then once she had the baby, she could give it up for adoption and return home. 

Yugi agreed. He was terrified what Atem would think about the entire ordeal, but his husband seemed more excited than Yugi expected. First off, he thought it was perfect karma that he and Yugi would help out their sister after their father kicked another child out. He could only imagine how upset Yugi’s father would be once he found out how he had been tricked and didn't get his way. 

But more importantly, Atem wondered if this was an opportunity from the gods to get a child. He and Yugi had talked for so long about adopting and here was the chance for them to have child and it to even be blood related to them. If Yunqi was okay with it, Atem suggested that they adopt the baby. 

They didn’t broach the idea with Yunqi, though; not yet. They wanted to give themselves time to discuss it and think it over, as well as see how the pregnancy went, and to go to a lawyer to find out their legal rights in something like this. 

In the meantime, Yugi set Yunqi up in the spare bedroom, got her scheduled with an OBGYN for prenatal care, and told her she did have to keep up with her studies while she was in Japan. He hired a personal tutor for her so she could keep up with her Hong Kong schoolwork and learn Japanese and better English. 

He told her they would worry about the baby and what happens to it in a few months. Right now, it was simply more important for Yunqi to rest and settle in. Her life had turned upside-down and they wanted to make this as easy as they could for her. 

The next five months weren’t easy. Yunqi tried to make herself as uncomplicated to live with as possible, so Yugi and Atem appreciated that. She helped around the house, did her homework and schooling without complaints, and went to every OBGYN appointment that was scheduled, as well as took her prenatal care vitamins. But she was still a pregnant teenager in a foreign country living with a brother she barely knew. It made for a lot of tears and a lot of homesickness. Yugi and Atem did the best they could, as did all their friends, and Yugi’s grandfather and mother, to help Yunqi feel welcomed and safe. Nonetheless, it was still hard for all of them.

Month seven was when he and Atem finally broached the subject about adopting the baby with her. 

“Do you… do you still want to give the baby up for adoption?” Yugi asked, sitting across from Yunqi on the couch. His sister’s English had improved leaps and bounds over the past three months—her Japanese, on the other hand, was… workable—and she nodded. 

“Honestly, Big Brother, I don’t want a baby at all. This has been… miserable. I want to go home,” she confessed quietly. “I miss my friends and my life. I sometimes wish I would have just… gone through with the abortion in Shenzhen. But...” her fingers ghosted against her stomach and she gave a sad smile. “But I see her heartbeat on the monitor at the doctor’s office and I feel her kicks and I just… I can’t imagine her not being alive, either. I hope that someone will give her a better life than I.” 

Yugi shared a glance with Atem and his husband began, asking, “Do you think… Would you be opposed, that is, if we were to adopt her?” Yunqi sat up straight, her eyes wide. “Yugi and I have wanted to adopt a child for some time now and we’ve been talking about this since you arrived here about adopting her. But we didn’t know how you felt about that.”

“I would… I would love that,” Yunqi admitted. “I know that she would have such a happy, good life here. I know you two would love her and care for her much better than I ever could. And then I could… I could know, too, how her life turned out. Yes! Can this be done? Is this okay?” 

“Legally, you mean?” Yugi asked her. Yunqi nodded. “We’ve reviewed it with a lawyer and… well, it is a tricky process, since you’re not a Japanese citizen. We have to do a few workarounds with the law but since KaibaCorp has an adoption agency branch, we’re pretty well set in getting the child Specially Adopted. It’ll take six months or so but yes, legally, we can get it done.” 

Yunqi sucked in air, her eyes wide. “Would I have to stay here another six months?” she asked in horror. Yugi shook his head. 

“No. Actually, what is going to happen is that at the hospital, after you have the baby, you’ll give it up to the KaibaCorp adoption agency. They’ll have you sign away your biological rights to the child and because the child will be considered to have no parents, it will be given Japanese citizenship. Atem and I will then work with the adoption agency and take the baby home that day to take care of her. We have a six month probationary period before we’re given full rights but once that period ends, she’ll be listed as our natural child.”

“Would this be acceptable to you?” Atem asked softly, giving her a gentle smile. Yunqi nodded, tears forming in her eyes. 

“Yes. Yes, I would love this. Thank you, Big Brothers. Thank you both so much for everything.” 

* * *

The day their daughter was born into the world was a memory Atem and Yugi would treasure for the rest of their days. Yunqi’s labor hit unexpectedly, her water breaking one Wednesday night after dinner. After eight hours of labor, though, their new baby girl was born in the early morning hours of September 19th.

Atem and Yugi told Yunqi she could name the baby; Yunqi picked out the name Miya, meaning  _ beautiful night _ . She said in Mandarin, her name would be pronounced Meiye. Atem had smiled and said they would nickname her Mei, then. For her mother.

Miya was a beautiful little girl; round chubby cheeks, a button nose, and with eyes like her birth mother, meaning her eyes were very similar to Yugi’s. Miraculously, she had inherited her grandfather’s purple eye color, which Atem confessed he was so eternally grateful for. He praised Khnum, stating the god shaped Miya on his potter’s wheel and gave her the amethyst eyes he loved so much and gave her looks so similar to Yugi, it was hard to tell he wasn't her biological father. Her hair was the rich violet-black locks of Yugi and Yunqi’s hair, and though she didn’t have much hair on her head yet, it appeared to be the wavy curls like Yugi’s bangs. 

They loved her instantly. Both Yugi and Atem adapted to parenthood enthusiastically, switching back and forth with who got up for Miya in the night to feed her and change her. They had been given two months off of work from Kaiba with full pay to raise her, though if they chose to, they were legally allowed to take up to a year though their pay would be reduced. Atem was going to take the time while Yugi would return to work but only for important events and meetings, and wouldn’t be programming any new games for the year. Anything he needed to program would be done at home. 

After having her baby, Yunqi wasted no time in returning home to Hong Kong. She made sure her rights were signed away and everything was settled with the adoption agency and then she returned home. Youxi was going to return home for a few days to help her settle back in and smooth things over with their parents, but Yunqi seemed extremely happy to be returning back to her own country. 

It was admittedly rather nice to have their home back to just themselves, even if they were bringing home their new daughter. Still, Yugi missed the freedom of being allowed to screw his husband senseless on any surface in their house. Not that they really felt like sex that often, considering how busy they were with their baby. 

Yet, Yugi thought as he looked at Atem rocking Miya to sleep, he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“Look, darling. She’s almost completely asleep,” Atem murmured, gently patting her back as he rocked the baby. Miya was a fusser. She didn’t sob inconsolably, but definitely cried and whined a lot. However, it was becoming apparent that she responded positively to rocking. And both Atem and Yugi were more than happy to get any little bit of sleep that they could.

Yugi leaned over and kissed Atem’s cheek, staring down at his daughter. She looked so peaceful. “Only because she’s such a daddy’s girl.” Atem laughed warmly, nuzzling into Yugi’s side. 

It wasn’t easy having a new baby. They had read book after book to prepare for Miya once it became clear that Yunqi would let them adopt her, but there was a lot they couldn’t learn from books or truly prepare for. The crying, the ups-and-downs during the nights, preparing the formula, changing diapers, bathing, skin care, no sleep, the sobbing, not knowing if Miya was in pain or hungry or tired or something else entirely when she wouldn’t stop crying, the stress of just doing it all  _ right _ … Both he and Atem were pushed more than once to their limits. 

But they got through it. They managed everything day by day, adapting and adjusting. The days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months until Miya was suddenly six months old. Yugi’s mother helped a lot, answering both of their parenting questions and aiding them in their low moments, when both of them were at wit’s end. Their friends were also eager to help babysit; Joey and Serenity especially. Every little bit of support helped for the new fathers. 

It was around the six month mark that Yugi and Atem began to discuss their future when it came to jobs and childcare. After all, Yugi had never seen his husband as happy as when he was playing with Miya. 

He wanted Atem to keep being that happy. After everything he had gone through in his teen years, he deserved to be happy. 

“Hey, babe…?” Yugi finally decided to broach the subject one lazy afternoon. Miya was asleep for her afternoon nap, leaving Atem and Yugi a few precious moments to relax. Atem was sprawled out along the couch, his head resting on Yugi’s lap. 

“Hmm?” Atem glanced up from the game he was playing, nudging Yugi’s hand when he paused in stoking Atem’s hair. Sometimes, Yugi swore his husband was part cat. 

He rolled his eyes at Atem’s resulting purr of satisfaction when he returned to scratching his head. 

“You seem… really happy here, raising Miya.” Atem paused his game, placing it down beside him to give Yugi his full attention. “Would you… would you like to stay at home with her? Or any of our kids, assuming we have more?” 

“You mean, not go back to work at KaibaCorp?” 

“I guess so. Only if you would want to, I mean! I just… I see how happy you are with her and I want you to be happy.” 

Atem hesitated, clearly thinking it over. Finally, he said, “Maybe? I mean, I think I’ll definitely give up dueling for now. That sounds more like torture to go on a dueling circuit and to tournaments, knowing I’d be missing Miya. What if I missed her first words or her first steps? I wouldn’t be able to stand it. But I’m not sure if I want to give up my job entirely at KaibaCorp. I enjoy what I do.” He paused, almost reluctantly admitting, “But I do love being here with Miya and watching her grow. The idea of someone else watching her and raising her makes my insides curl.” 

He sighed heavily, frowning. “I was raised like that, after all. I rarely saw my father growing up. He was so busy. And my mother did her best to raise me but it was a palace. She had a lot of other duties to attend to so I was left under the watchful eye of caretakers and tutors and handlers for most of my life. It always felt like a struggle to get any of my father’s attention and I don’t want that for Miya.”

“Well, maybe you don’t have to give up everything at KaibaCorp. Kaiba is willing to work with us; you know how understanding he is for all parents. You may not do your day-to-day job being a game tester, but you could still model and be a spokesperson. Or come in to test games when Kaiba needs you. You are the best one at finding glitches, after all.” 

“It is a talent,” Atem agreed with a grin. “That’s not a bad idea, though. I’d like to work on a limited schedule like that; come in whenever Kaiba needs me. That way, I can be here for Miya, too.” He tensed suddenly, making Yugi tilt his head curiously. 

“What is it?” 

“Well… what about money? I won’t make as much and since we have a child now, our expenses are going to go up. And soon, we’ll have to move out to a bigger place; maybe even get a house, if we decide to adopt another child.” Yugi stroked his cheek, humming in thought. 

He wanted to be delicate, knowing this was a somewhat sensitive topic for his husband. Atem was raised to be a king, to be the most powerful, and in a sense, the most wealthy. While he was never bothered by Kaiba’s wealth or anyone else’s, Yugi knew he sometimes felt uncomfortable with the fact that Yugi technically made more than him. Yugi understood  _ why _ Atem felt that way, of course, and tried not to feel offended or upset—he just had to chalk it up to dating a previous pharaoh. It was just a  _ thing _ .

“I think we’ll be okay. You make a lot of money when you model, and with Kaiba talking about launching that new fashion brand soon, I’m sure you’ll become a major face of the label. Then with my royalties from Spherium II and Monster World and now Millennium World, I think that will keep us afloat for a while without worries; none of that is including our normal salary from KaibaCorp.” He brushed his thumb over Atem’s lips, smiling. “Besides, I would rather you be happy and if raising our daughter makes you happy, then I think you should do it. Also, then we don’t have to pay for childcare. That can get pricey.” 

Atem kissed his fingertips, nodding. “Then we’ll talk to Kaiba about it. And see how this goes.” 

“Heh, that’s all we can really do. Just roll with it and adapt. It’s what we do best.” Atem leaned up and kissed him. 

“It is, indeed.” Yugi grinned against his lips and returned the kiss with fervor. 

* * *

Their second child was planned. Miya was two years old when Atem and Yugi began to talk about having another addition to their family. Atem had always wanted to be a father and it seemed to run thick in his blood and heritage to have a large family—to have plenty of heirs, even if he wasn’t a king any longer.

Yugi was quite happy with the idea. He wanted another child as well, even if that meant they would have to go through the difficult adoption process. They both agreed they wanted a child under six in order to register them legally as their blood child. Anyone older than six couldn’t be Special Adopted and wouldn’t be listed as their child. It could make things troublesome in the future. 

There was a lot to do before they could adopt a new child, though. Yugi and Atem moved out from their apartment—which was sad for both of them, as they had lived there for over ten years at that point—and bought a new home in Domino’s suburbs. It took a while to find something, but they finally got the perfect home: two stories with four bedrooms and two bathrooms. There was enough room in case they wanted to expand their family again. 

The adoption part was the hard part, though. It was a strange process to go to an orphanage and try to find a child they wanted to bring home. It made them both feel like they were shopping for children and neither man liked that. They were going to pick the one that they connected to the most but at the end of the day, there wasn’t some deep bond or feeling of  _ that’s the one _ . 

They went to another orphanage the next week and this time, something clicked. It was with a young boy named Ziya; he stuck out to them because his skin was nearly the same color as Atem’s, which was a rather unusual sight in Japan. He had lived in the orphanage since he was born, which was horrifically sad considering the boy was almost four. 

Despite his easy-going nature and sweetness, it seemed like many couples overlooked him in favor of a Japanese baby. He was of Middle-Eastern descent, though the orphanage didn’t have many details on his parents. His mother was Japanese and his father was reported as deceased on the birth certificate, though they were unsure of the accuracy behind those claims. Nonetheless, they still had the mother’s contact information if Atem and Yugi decided to proceed through with the adoption. They would have to get the mother to turn over all her rights to the child but no one at the agency thought that would be a problem. 

Yugi and Atem sat down with the boy; his name was Ziya. He had thick, curly black hair and beautiful, large jade eyes. Atem murmured at one point that Ziya’s eyes reminded him of Yugi—how bright and expressive and full of kindness they were. But the instant they sat down with Ziya, it was like they all clicked. They played together for hours and at the end of the day, Ziya hesitantly asked if they might take him home. 

“Would you like to come home with us, Ziya? We have another baby girl you haven’t met yet; she’s with my Mama today. She’s a little younger than you. Her name is Miya.” He nodded, his bright eyes shining with hope. Yugi and Atem both couldn’t deny those eyes. 

“I’d love to,” he finally said. He was very well-spoken for his age. Apparently, he read a lot to occupy himself and would try to read to the younger children, despite most of them not comprehending what he was reading. But he liked to soothe the other children and had learned to be a big brother to them. He had been there longer than many others, after all. 

“Then let’s go home. We would love to have you.” Ziya’s entire face lit up and he threw his arms around both Yugi and Atem, hugging them tightly. 

There was a six month trial period to get him adjusted before they could request the formal adoption through the courts. But, despite how much they loved their new son, adjustment wasn’t easy. 

For starters, Miya was not happy that she wasn’t the center of attention of her fathers’ world anymore. She had to share her time with her new big brother, Ziya, and the change was not pleasing to the two-year-old. But besides that, she did adore her big brother. He was a lot different from her. Where Miya was energetic, loud, and somewhat excitable, Ziya was calm, quiet, and controlled. But they played well with each other, as Miya brought Ziya out of his shell, and Ziya helped tame some of Miya’s more temperamental moments.

It took a few months for the siblings to truly adjust to each other but eventually, they began to adore each other. Not that they didn’t fight like most siblings—Yugi was at a loss with how normal siblings grew up so the first time he found the two in a screaming match with each other, he was alarmed at how they were acting. Atem brushed away his fears, telling him it was normal for siblings to argue and scream and fight one moment and then go back to playing together the next; he did the same with his own siblings before they died. 

Sure enough, once Yugi snapped at them to stop screaming (“If you want to fight, you can talk to each other in  _ inside _ voices, not screaming. I will not tolerate this sort of behavior; you both know better.”) and they resolved the fighting over the toy, both siblings pouted for a few minutes until Miya asked Ziya to play cars with her and everything was fine again. 

It was still an adjustment process for Ziya to live with them, though, after nearly four years in an orphanage. It was hard for him to adapt to such a new life so rapidly. He wasn’t used to having so much attention on him by his new parents. He wasn’t used to having his own room or toys. He wasn’t used to being asked for his opinion on things like food or clothes or what he wanted to do. He wasn’t used to the affection and care Atem and Yugi showed him, either. 

For almost two months, Ziya wouldn’t call them anything other than Mr. Yugi or Mr. Atem. They accepted it, telling him to call them whatever he felt comfortable with. However, both men were secretly ecstatic when Ziya began to call them dad, though the first time it came about was an accident. 

“Atem, sweetheart, Kaiba wants you to come in tomorrow.” Yugi wrapped his arms around his husband’s waist, toying with the apron he was wearing. “You look so good in this,” he murmured into Atem’s ear, nipping his earlobe. 

Atem rolled his eyes, continuing to stir the tomato sauce. But when Yugi kissed his jaw, his husband paused. The look he sent over his shoulder, promised good things to come once the kids were asleep. “Mmm… that smells good. Koshari?” Yugi asked. Atem nodded. 

“Ziya requested it when I asked what they wanted for dinner. He asked for the tomato dish with all the rice, noodles, and beans.” 

“He has good taste!” They were interrupted by two children running through the kitchen. Miya slammed into her fathers’ legs, wrapping them in a hug. “Why, hello, Meimei," Yugi greeted his daughter with her Chinese nickname. It helped differentiate between Miya's and Ziya's names, considering how similar the two names sounded. "How are you?” She ignored her father, sticking her tongue out at her older brother. 

“Can’t get me!” she taunted. Ziya pouted and stomped his foot. 

“Cheater! Papa, Daddy, tell her she can’t do that!” At first he didn’t realize what he had said, too angry with his sister. But then he blinked and seemed to realize the names he had used so naturally. He looked up at Atem and Yugi hesitantly, waiting to see if they would either reprimand him or make a big deal out of it. 

Yugi and Atem didn’t react, though, opting to play it off like it was normal. Yugi simply smiled down at the children, saying, “Mei? Are you cheating?” She bit her lip, looking back up at her dad. “Hmm. That face looks guilty. But you know…” He grinned mischievously. “Ziya may not be able to get you, but  _ we _ can.” Yugi leaned down to tickle his daughter, making her squeal. He glanced up at Ziya, his eyes sparkling. “Better run!” 

The tension melted out of Ziya’s frame and he shrieked, turning around and bolting from the kitchen. Yugi scooped Miya up and charged after him playfully. 

“Can’t catch me, Daddy!” They looped around the living room a few times until Ziya rushed back into the kitchen. He latched onto Atem. “Save me, Papa!” Atem laughed and lifted Ziya into his arms. 

“Sorry, my love. You may have captured the princess but the prince is safe with me.” Yugi gave an exaggerated pout. “However, it is almost time for dinner. Please go wash up, everyone. That includes you, Yugi.” Yugi laughed, racing both children to the bathroom.

After that moment, the names stuck. 

They still had a lot to process through, though. Yugi and Atem had to learn what was too much affection for their son and what was too little. They enrolled in family counseling as well as got Ziya his own therapist to help alleviate some of the issues that would stem from being raised in an orphanage. They took their time with him, never pressuring him to show them affection back or to rush him to feel at home. They dealt with any behavior problems as best as they could but they were extremely fortunate in that regard—Ziya was extremely well behaved. 

After six months, they finalized the paperwork and got everything approved with the courts. Ziya was now officially their son, listed on their family registry as their natural-born child. 

“Look, Ziya!” Yugi came inside the kitchen, holding their updated registry. The four-year-old looked up from where he was coloring at the table. Beside him, the now three-year-old Miya paused in her own coloring to grin at her father’s appearance.

“Daddy! You home!” Miya said with a toothy smile. He leaned over and kissed Miya’s forehead before kneeling down beside Ziya. Atem was cooking dinner but he stepped away from the stove to see what Yugi held. 

“Do you see this?” Yugi asked, pointing to the family registration sheet. At the top had his name and his marriage date to Atem, along with his birthday, town he was born in, and other information. Below him had Atem’s information (that may have been forged courtesy of Kaiba to make him a legal Japanese citizen considering he had no birth certificate, family information, or any real identification that would allow him to become a citizen the normal way) and then below that was Ziya’s information. 

He was listed as their first-born child. 

“That’s my name,” Ziya whispered, mystified at the kanji listing him as a Mutou. “But that’s… that’s your name, too, Daddy.” Yugi nodded. 

“This says that you’re my son. That you’re  _ our _ son,” he told him, leaning his head against Atem. “You’re officially Ziya Mutou now.” 

“So… I’ll live here forever?” Yugi nodded. “You won’t… you won’t ever take me back to  _ that _ place?” 

“Never,” Yugi confirmed. His son’s eyes filled with tears. Even as young as he was, he understood the enormity of what it meant to be part of their family now permanently. “We love you, Ziya.” 

He was sobbing as he wrapped his arms around Yugi’s neck, crying into his shoulder. “I love you, Daddy! You and Papa and Sissy! I love you all so much!” 

“We love you, too, Ziya. You and Miya, both,” Atem told them, pulling Miya into their family group hug, too. 

It wasn’t easy bringing a new child into the mix but Atem and Yugi wouldn’t trade their family for anything. 

* * *

One thing Yugi and Atem learned as the years passed, it was difficult with two children to get true  _ alone _ time with each other. While it was still somewhat easy to have sex when the kids were asleep at night, since they were both so young, they still had to be quiet and careful. More than once, they had almost been caught by a teary-eyed child walking into their bedroom after a nightmare or from being scared of the dark.

While they would never trade their children for anything, both of them couldn’t deny that they missed being able to slam the other one up against the wall or counter or table and fuck them whenever they pleased. The moments when they were alone in their house, though… Those were the moments they could let loose. 

Yugi’s thirty-fifth birthday was one of those such days.

“We finally have the house to ourselves! And with Mama watching the kids tonight…” Yugi smirked at Atem, pushing him against the wall. “I get my own birthday gift?” he trailed his fingers up Atem’s chest, making his husband grin. 

“Absolutely. I am yours for the taking.” Even after being married for almost eleven years, and together for fifteen years, neither of them could ever get tired of the other.

Yugi began unbuttoning his husband’s shirt calmly, humming in thought. “Mine for the taking, huh? That is the best birthday gift a guy could ask for.” He slammed his lips against Atem’s, both of them moaning into the kiss. It had been too long since they had been able to do this so openly and without worry of being caught. 

He pulled away from Atem only to nip at his throat, kissing and sucking the delicious skin there. Atem tilted his head back for more access, sighing in pleasure. Yugi relished in the sound and taste, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Finally, Yugi tugged off Atem’s shirt before pulling away to lift off his top. “I want to ride you, though. Okay?” Atem lifted an eyebrow; while they were both were fine with switching positions, it was definitely more normal for Atem to be the receiver. He grinned. 

“I am more than happy with that. Take me however you wish.” Yugi didn’t need anymore encouragement than that. He led Atem to the couch (their bedroom upstairs seemed much too far away at the moment) and pushed him down. 

They took their time, despite how desperate they both felt. It wasn’t often they could thoroughly enjoy themselves like this anymore so Yugi wanted to use every single second up. He would fuck and be fucked into oblivion by his husband several times before they had to pick up their children tomorrow morning.

After thoroughly sucking Atem’s nipples and then tongue fucking his mouth, Yugi stripped off their pants. He drank in the sight of his husband’s bare body greedily, before reaching over to the bottle of lotion on the end table and squirting a generous amount on his hand. “I don’t feel like getting the lube. This okay?” 

“Mmm. It’s fine. Just, c’mon. Hurry.” 

“Patience, my love. Here, give me your hand. I want to ride your fingers.” Atem scooped up some of the lotion, coating his fingers in it. He let Yugi take control of his hand, though, guiding the digits into his hole. Yugi sank down on the first one with a loud groan. It only took a few seconds of riding the finger before Yugi was asking for a second and then a third. 

He rode Atem’s hand hard, pulling almost all the way off his fingers before slamming back down. Atem, all the while, did his best to stretch and search for that lucky little spot that would make his husband come undone. It didn’t take long; he was quite experienced at finding it after so many years of doing this. 

“Ah, fuck, Atem! Yes!” Yugi was really letting go, moaning loudly and wantonly. He relished in the silence of the house where his voice and Atem’s breathless pants could echo off the walls. 

Right before he came, though, Yugi slipped off of Atem’s fingers, sitting back on his thighs. He squirted more lotion into his hands, rubbing it up and down Atem’s dick. “Does that feel good?” Atem responded with a very loud moan. “But I bet it will feel so much better inside me. So hot and tight and ready for you. Do you want that, babe? Would you like to fuck me?” 

“Fuckkkk, yesss, Yugi. I want to—ahh—I want to fuck you so—so—” he cut off to throw his head back at the pleasure. Yugi continued to stroke him, his expert fingers moving along all the most sensitive spots on Atem’s dick. He gently trailed his thumb over his slit before rubbing his hypersensitive frenulum skin with a more firm pressure. Atem let out a deep-throated yell at the the sensation. 

“Please, Yugi, inside. Let me go inside you. Please, I can’t take much more.” Yugi pressed a single kiss to his tip before climbing back over Atem and impaling himself on his dick. His husband screamed with the sudden influx of heat and tightness surrounding him without warning. 

“Now, it’s my birthday. So I’m going to take my time and ride you and then fuck you so hard, you won’t even remember your name.” That made Atem crack an eye open and give him a flat look. 

“Ha ha,” he intoned dryly. Yugi grinned in response before lifting himself up and slamming back down on Atem. While it may not have made him forget his name, he definitely forgot what Yugi was teasing him about. Atem groaned Yugi’s name, clenching his eyes shut with the intense pleasure. 

Yugi was determined to make it last as long as possible. He varied his speeds, riding Atem hard and fast until he could see his husband nearly at the end, only to slow down and give shallow thrusts. Sometimes he’d drag himself up until only Atem’s tip was inside him, and then lower himself inch by inch until he was filled to the brim. Other times, he’d thrust down so hard, Atem would go so deep inside him, it was almost like they were becoming one person again. 

And his husband was at his complete mercy. He could do nothing but grip Yugi’s thighs and moan a litany of praises. It was once his native Ancient Egyptian started coming out, though, that Yugi knew he was doing a damn good job of fucking his husband. 

He could feel Atem tensing underneath him, so close to the edge. Yugi slowed his motions again, taking his deliciously sweet time to rise up before languidly coming back down. Atem groaned, in some mixture of torturous pleasure and frustration. 

Atem opened his mouth to say something but it was still in Ancient Egyptian. The words sent shivers down Yugi’s spine, even if he couldn’t understand it. “What is that, babe?” Yugi was breathless, sweating and hot, as he felt his own end approaching much quicker than he wanted. Seeing Atem so ragged and so close to toppling over that euphoric edge was unbelievably enticing. 

“Yugi, please.  _ Please _ .” 

“Just hold for a little bit more. For me, Atem? A little longer?” His husband whimpered but nodded, clearly fighting the urge to thrust up into Yugi hard. 

Yugi appreciated that. He decided to reward his husband, bending forward and kissing him sloppily. As his tongue thrusted into Atem’s mouth, he matched the movements with his body, rammng down on Atem’s cock. He twirled his tongue with Atem’s as he lifted up, and then slammed back down, stroking Atem’s tongue all the while. He swallowed his husband’s scream before breaking apart. 

“All right. You’ve done so good, babe. I’m gonna treat you good, I promise. Just relax and let yourself feel.” Atem sighed in relief, his body subtly releasing its pent-up tension. Yugi tilted his hips some to get a better angle and then began to ride Atem like there was no tomorrow. He varied his rhythm and angle, but didn’t slow down anymore. Instead, he made sure to aim so that Atem was striking his prostate with every thrust.

Atem didn’t last long at all. As soon as Yugi screamed from Atem hitting his sweet spot, his husband came undone. He arched off the couch, pushing even deeper into Yugi as he came. He opened his mouth in a silent scream, gripping Yugi’s thighs so tightly, they would probably bruise. Yugi rode out Atem’s entire orgasm, getting hit in just the right spot every time. Stars danced across his vision and finally he couldn’t hold out anymore. He yelled Atem’s name as he came.

For several long minutes, Yugi didn’t have a single coherent thought. He slumped on top of Atem, just breathing in his scent and relaxing into his hold. He was perfectly content and happy, simply blissed out of his mind. 

They laid there in silence, basking in the warmth of each other and enjoying the afterglow. Atem was the first to really recover. He cuddled closer to Yugi, tracing circles on his back. 

“Happy birthday, love.” Yugi laughed, turning slightly and kissing Atem’s collarbone. It was really the only piece of skin he could touch easily without having to move. 

“Thank you. But I have to confess, I didn’t really want to stop just yet.” Atem grinned, his fingers trailing down until they ghosted against Yugi’s ass cheeks. “I mean, since the kids aren’t here, it seems like a shame to waste a perfectly good opportunity…” 

“That it does. Besides,” Atem’s smirk and eyes were devilish, promising wickedly sinful things to come, “it is still your birthday. What type of present would I be if you only got to use me once? No, no, no; I plan to be the gift that keeps on giving. Take me as you wish, my love.” 

Yugi didn’t need anymore encouragement than that. After all, Atem was his favorite birthday present of all.

* * *

Their third child was planned. The fourth, though, not so much.

Right after Atem turned thirty-five, he and Yugi began to talk about having another child. Soon enough Miya would be five and be starting school. Ziya was already enrolled. 

Yugi agreed, but considering their age, he asked that they do something a little different this time around. After all, they were getting too old to keep raising children so this would probably be their last one. He asked that they do a surrogacy pregnancy so that one of their children would be related to Atem. Yugi wanted his bloodline to be passed on, too. 

Atem had never considered the idea but after researching it, he agreed. He loved the idea of having his own child. 

The process to get a surrogate was long and was going to be expensive. They worked with a surrogacy agency and one of the KaibaCorp lawyers they had used for their first two children to get everything legally ready. 

They went through donor after donor, never finding anyone quite right. Yugi was almost thirty-six when they found the perfect person, though. Or more like, she offered to be the surrogate mother. It was a gift that neither man was willing to turn down. 

Yugi had been complaining to his siblings in one of their rare visits to Japan to see him and his family. Yunqi liked to see how Miya was growing up, telling Yugi more than once over the years that giving the baby to her older brother was one of the best decisions she had ever made in her life. 

After finishing lamenting about another failed donor, Yunqi had spoken up. “What if I be your donor? I was planning on moving over here anyways to study at university for my Masters. I could do this while I’m here.” 

“You’d want to have another baby? I thought you hated the pregnancy.” Yunqi shrugged. 

“I know what to expect now. Besides, I’m twenty-three instead of seventeen. Big difference, you know? I could live in my own apartment, work at school, and just make sure not to take too many classes when I’m in the last part of my pregnancy. Besides, if I were the surrogate, the child would be related to both you and Atem. You couldn’t get any closer to having your own biological children together.” 

His sister was absolutely right. He would never have any other way of having children that were related to both him and Atem biologically than without using his sister as a surrogate. 

“We’ll draft out a contract this time to make it more official. We’ll pay you, too, like we would do a normal donor. And get a lawyer involved so the rights are transferred to us before birth. All of that. Would that work for you?” Yunqi nodded. “Then I’ll… I’ll talk to Atem. But… thank you, Yunqi. You have no idea how much it means that you would do this for us.” His sister smiled and waved away his words. 

“After you took me in so unexpectedly that year and took care of me without a single complaint? Big Brother, I would love to finally be able to repay your kindness. You took me in, took care of me, and then gave my child a wonderful home and family. You turned an awful situation into something so much better and for that, I will thank you for all eternity. I’d be happy to do this for you.” She grinned a little, tilting her head. “Besides, the money won’t be bad, either!” 

* * *

Yunqi was three months pregnant when she found out she was pregnant with twins. It was apparently a pretty common thing with surrogacy pregnancies given how the procedure went. After all, she had several embryos transferred into her to increase the odds of a successful pregnancy. It just so happened that two attached to her uterus wall instead of only one.

Yugi and Atem had been planning for one child. Now they had to plan for twins; yet, they couldn’t shake the happiness at the announcement. Atem would have  _ two _ blood-related children to him now. It was overwhelming but in a good way. 

The pregnancy went smoothly. Miya and Ziya were both ecstatic about having new siblings join their family. Yunqi was a lot happier this time around, too, settling into Japan and Domino City much easier. She enjoyed her university and talked frequently to her family. Youxi and Jiyu both came as often as they could to visit and even their mother came a few times to see Yunqi.

The first time Yugi and Atem met Yugi’s sibling’s mother, they weren’t sure how to act. But the woman was extremely cordial to them, thanking them both for taking care of Yunqi and for treating her children kindly all these years. She was excited to see Miya for the first time; though she did confuse the girl when she introduced herself as Miya’s grandmother. 

Miya had denied the claim, saying her grandmother was at the Game Store with Grandpapa. Yugi gently explained to his daughter that she was Aunt Yunqi’s mother and that was enough for Miya to understand and agree to call her Laolao—Grandma—as requested. 

They didn’t see Yunqi’s mother again until the day of the delivery. Yunqi went into labor on her expected due date, February 14th, and the birth went smoothly. When her mother showed up at the hospital, both Yugi and Atem were shocked. Thankfully, his mother and grandfather were at home with their children, as neither man wanted Yugi’s mom to see the woman Yugi’s father had left her for. Jiyu came in with his mother, while Youxi had been in Japan for nearly a week already to stay with Yunqi. 

What neither man expected, and seemingly neither did Youxi, was Yugi’s father to show up, too. 

Yugi felt his throat close off at the sight of his father. He hadn’t seen the man since he was fourteen. Atem seemed to realize exactly who he was instantly. Immediately, he was on his feet, standing protectively in front of Yugi. Despite the fact he hadn’t been a pharaoh for twenty years, it was clearly something that never left him. Atem radiated sheer kingly authority, his aura and posture overwhelming. 

As soon as the man walked closer to them, Atem blocked his pathway. He gestured for the man to follow him out and Yugi’s father surprisingly acquiesced to the shorter man’s demand. 

“Atem is terrifying when he’s angry,” Youxi leaned over to whisper, her eyes wide. “I’ve never seen him like that before.” 

Yugi shook off his mute horror in order to turn to his sister. He gave her a wry grin. “Let’s just say it runs in his blood. He’s from an incredibly powerful family in Egypt. And he’s always been overprotective of me. That was actually how we met. He came to my aid when I was getting bullied. Needless to say, the guy never messed with me again after Atem was through with him.” 

Youxi shivered. “I’d hate to be on his bad side. I almost feel sorry for our father.” Yugi remained quiet. He didn’t feel sorry at all towards his father. There was a part of him that almost wished Atem would put the man in some sort of Shadow Game. He probably would if either of them still had the ability to use magic anymore. 

Ten minutes later, Atem returned to Yugi’s side. His father didn’t return; eventually, his new wife left to go find him. 

“What happened, Atem? What did you say?” Yugi asked him softly. Atem entwined his fingers with Yugi’s, lifting his hand and kissing it. 

“I told him he was a terrible person and he had no right showing his face here. Nonetheless, after I told him off sufficiently for everything he put you and Mama through, I did say that Yunqi was still his daughter and we would not forbid him from seeing her and making sure she was okay. Our children, though, were a different story entirely. He tried to make a few excuses but I wouldn’t hear of them. I turned around and walked away.” 

He paused for a few seconds before admitting, “I also told him not to even contemplate speaking to you. He wasn’t worthy to be in your presence and I wouldn’t tolerate it.” Yugi let out a small chuckle, shaking his head before leaning against Atem’s shoulder. 

“I love you so much, Atem. So, so, so much.” 

As it was, Yugi’s father did eventually return to the waiting area with his wife, but it was nearly an hour later. Yugi refused to acknowledge his presence. By this point, though, Yunqi had almost finished delivering the twins. Yugi and Atem were welcomed into the room once the delivery was finished. 

Their new children were gorgeous. Both had Atem’s dark skin and his fiercely-shaped eyes. Their hair was dark, thick and already wild with streaks of Atem’s red mixed throughout. It was clear both had inherited Atem’s jagged bangs, too, as wisps of the hair slanted against their forehead. Their daughter had Atem’s golden bangs, while their son had inherited the Mutou blonde.

When the twins finally blinked open their eyes, both fathers eagerly looked to see whose eye color they had inherited. Their daughter was clearly a clone of Atem—his hair color and style as well as vivid crimson eyes. The only thing she had that even vaguely resembled Yugi was her tiny button nose. Their son had Yugi’s bang color and purple eyes, but his eyes shape was all Atem, as were his facial features. Nonetheless, both parents were immensely proud of their beautiful new babies. 

They named the older female twin (by seventeen minutes) Mana, and their younger twin boy Mahad. 

They had called their friends and mother with the news of the twins birth. They wanted Miya and Ziya to see their new siblings first before anyone else. His mother and grandfather showed up quickly at the hospital, as did Kaiba, Mokuba, Joey, and Serenity. Duke, Ryou, and Tristan had all said they would visit once the twins were taken home. Téa demanded pictures and said she would be flying in as soon as she could. 

Miya and Ziya were enthralled with their new baby brother and sister. They looked on as Atem held Mahad and Yugi held Mana, eyes wide with awe and quickly forming adoration. 

“They will cry a lot. And they can’t talk or play with you two for awhile. But I want you two to help take care of your baby brother and sister, okay? Will you do that, Meimei, Ziya?” Miya and Ziya both nodded. 

Miya reached up and gently touched Mana’s hand. Instinctively, the baby’s fist curled around her finger. She looked up at her dad with sheer excitement. “She has my finger, Daddy!” Yugi nodded gently. 

“She does, Meimei. She has a strong grip, doesn’t she?” Miya nodded, transfixed on her new sister. 

Ziya was much the same, hesitantly reaching out a hand to stroke Mahad’s face. They infant turned slightly and caught his finger, sucking on it. 

“He doesn’t have teeth!” Ziya looked up at Atem in horror, making both Yugi and Atem chuckle slightly. “How’s he gonna eat, Papa?” 

“He’ll drink milk right now, my little light. You’re right; he doesn’t have any teeth so all he can eat is liquid food. Daddy and I will give him bottles of special baby milk called formula. When he’s a little older, in a few weeks or so, we’ll let you and Meimei feed them, too, okay?” 

“Yes! Are we gonna go home now? Sissy and I will be suuuuper good and quiet like Grandma said!” 

“The twins will need to stay here for a day or two to make sure everything is okay. But then we can take them home.” They stayed for a few hours, letting others come in and see their twins and check on Yunqi, who was resting. Grandpa and Mama came in next, and then Youxi and Jiyu. Atem and Yugi allowed Yunqi’s mother and father to step in and see the twins, though Atem was clear that Yugi’s father was not to touch the twins. He didn’t ask to or even protest Atem's demand. 

Apparently, there had been some sort of exchange of words in the waiting room between his grandfather and father, but Yugi wasn’t aware of what exactly happened. He knew his mother had refused to speak to his father or even acknowledge his existence, much like Yugi had. 

Joey, Serenity, Kaiba, and Mokuba came in—Joey and Kaiba more-or-less forcing Yunqi’s parents (correction; forcing Yugi's father) out of the room, not that Atem or Yugi was complaining—to see the twins and snap a few pictures. Finally, the nurses came to take the newborns for the night. 

Yugi and Atem took their two oldest children, leaving with their friends and Yugi’s mother and grandfather. Outside the hospital, though, they ran into Yugi’s father. 

He was standing outside the doorway, almost as if he had been waiting for them. Youxi, Jiyu, and their mother was still in the hospital room with Yunqi. He turned to the group as they walked out. 

“Aiko, Yugi, Father… I’d like to speak to you, please.” He took a step towards them; instantly, Atem, Joey, Mokuba, and Kaiba were in front of them, physically blocking him from approaching. 

“Over my dead body,” Atem snarled. “You lost that privilege the moment you told my husband that he was a disgrace and an abomination and that you never wanted to see him again.” 

“I just want to talk to my son—” 

“Fuck off,” Joey sneered. “Take one step towards Yug or Mama Mutou and I’ll—I’ll—” 

“Joseph! Language!” Yugi’s mother snapped, glaring at the blonde. She placed her hands on Ziya’s shoulders, giving the man a pointed look. Joey looked briefly sheepish for cussing in front of the two children. “As for you…” she turned towards her ex-husband, her face carefully controlled. “I have nothing to say. Begone from my sight, fool.” She marched forward, steering Ziya and Miya with her. “Meimei, Ziya, come, darlings. Let’s get to the car. Serenity, sweetie, will you help me get them in their carseats?” 

“Yes, Mama Mutou!” Serenity and Yugi’s mother walked away, taking the worried children with them. Yugi sent his son and daughter small smiles, nodding for them to go with their grandmother and unofficial aunt. He didn’t want them to see this interaction.

“I have nothing more to say to you,” Grandpa spoke up next. “You’re no son of mine. I said everything I needed to in the hallway. Whether my grandson decides to speak to you is up to him. But you’re not welcome to my home or in my life. I’m too old to deal with you. If you weren't able to see what an amazing wife and wonderful son you had, and thought it was more honorable to disown your own son, then I have nothing to say. I have no time for fools in my life.” Yugi hadn’t expected his grandfather to be so clipped but the old man stalked off, following after Yugi’s mother. 

It left Yugi and his father, separated by the wall of Yugi’s friends and husband. Atem was practically growling and judging by Joey’s clenched fists, he was barely restraining himself. Only the Kaiba brothers looked relatively calm, though both of their glares were venomous. 

“Yugi, you—” 

“Are you sorry?” Yugi asked, cutting his father off. “For everything you did? To me? To Mama? To Grandpa?” 

“Well, I don’t think—”

“Yes or no question,” Kaiba snapped. 

“It’s more complicated than that. I was away, you never wanted to talk to me, your mother was always busy… Things happened that I’m not proud of. I never expected you would actually be hurt by all this but you’ve always been so sensitive, I guess I should have expected it, and for you to be gay but—”

Yugi was surprised to feel absolutely nothing in his chest. Not rage. Not hurt. Just… emptiness. He just… didn’t  _ care _ what his father had to say. His words just didn’t hurt him anymore. Yugi knew who he was. He knew who loved him and who his family was. And he knew how a good dad would act—because, damn it, he  _ was _ a good dad and he’d never treat his children like how his father treated him. 

“That’s a no,” Mokuba said, huffing out a bitter laugh. “Look. The three of us?” He gestured to himself, Joey, and Seto. “We all had shit-tastic dads. The ones that were abusive, manipulative, awful assholes. We know what they do. If you really wanted forgiveness, the first words out of your mouth would have been, ‘Yes, Yugi, I am so sorry for what I did to you as a teenager and adult. I was wrong.’ But you just keep deflecting and making excuses. That’s all you’re here to do is to make excuses for how you treated him and deflect blame back to him.” 

“Probably to make yourself look better to your other children,” Atem scoffed. “You disgust me. After everything you’ve done, you dare try to flip this on Yugi? If I were still Pharaoh, I’d have you whipped publicly.” Yugi placed a hand on Atem’s arm, soothing his husband. Meanwhile, he looked at his father carefully—the man had some mixture of frustration and anger on his face. Not shame. Not guilt. Nothing that would speak of wanting to be forgiven. 

Finally Yugi stepped forward, still holding onto Atem, but coming to face his father squarely. “I am always the first person to give a second chance—that’s how I became friends with Joey, Seto, Mokuba, even to some extent Atem. But I’m not offering you that because I don’t think you deserve it or are truly wanting to change. So I’m going to make you work for my forgiveness like you used to do to me all my life. If you want my attention, you’ll need to earn it. Besides, I’m done. I was serious when I told you I didn’t want you in my life. That includes my children, as well. Have a good night.” With that, Yugi walked away. Atem kept a steady grip on him as they walked to their children.

Yugi wasn’t sure what his father wanted. But he didn’t have time for his toxicity back in his life. He had four children to take care of now and they didn’t need that type of person in their life, either. They deserved to be surrounded by kindness and love and Yugi’s father was none of that. 

“Partner,” Atem began, pulling Yugi to a stop. “You did the right thing.” Yugi slowly released a breath, feeling his chest lighten. His husband was right. “Come on. Let’s go home.” 

* * *

“Daddy! Look what I found!” Ziya ran forward, brandishing the deck of Duel Monster cards like a treasure. “You used to play this all the time! Will you teach me?”

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon. Yugi glanced up from his laptop, pausing in his idle coding, to stare at his Duel Monsters deck. He hadn’t really played Duel Monsters in years, since before the twins were born. 

“Ooh, me too! Please, Daddy?” Miya skidded into the room behind Ziya, looking up eagerly at her father. 

Yugi couldn’t refuse. “Sure. Where’s Papa? We should do this together.” He closed his laptop and stood, gesturing for the kids to follow him into the living room. 

“I’ve been summoned?” Atem called, bouncing one twin on his hip, while the other was riding on his shoulders. “What’re we doing?” Yugi took Mana, letting Atem continue to hold Mahad on his shoulders. The two-year-old seemed gleeful about sitting so high up. 

“Ziya and Meimei found our Duel Monsters cards. They want to learn how to play.” 

“Oh? This sounds like fun. C’mon, let’s do this.” They settled down in front of the couch, spreading the cards in front of them. Yugi held Mana in one arm while he showed Ziya with the other what each card was. Atem sat Miya in his lap, explaining the cards to to her as well. Mahad gleefully yanked on his father’s bangs, ignoring his siblings. 

“And this card is the Dark Magician. My best friend was a magician, too. His name was Mahad, just like your little brother’s. And this card is the Dark Magician Girl. She is the pupil of the Dark Magician; and in real life, my friend Mahad had a pupil named Mana. That’s who your little sister is named after, too.” 

Yugi watched his husband handle the cards with tender care as he showed their children. And watching it, he was filled with overwhelming love. All those years ago, when he had used these same cards to duel Atem and send him to the afterlife, he never would have fathomed that this was the future that would come about. Back then, he thought his life had essentially ended. He had no dreams of getting married or having children after Atem left. 

But then life gave him the best present he could have ever asked for, by dropping his husband back into his arms and into his life again. Atem had come back to him and promised to never again part from him. He had vowed that when they slipped the golden bands on each others finger, promising for all eternity. He had reaffirmed that same promise when they were gifted each of their children. 

His first child had been unexpected. His second child may have been planned but it was still fraught with unknowns even after adopting him. His third child may have been technically planned and expected but the additional fourth child was definitely an unplanned extra bonus, which really made twins all the more of a surprise. 

Then again, that wasn’t really a bad thing. Atem returning to him was a surprise, too. Having him return his feelings and then dating, getting engaged, getting married… that was all a surprise. Having his family and closest friends accept them? Another surprise. Having siblings? Huge surprise but it turned out to not be a bad one. Having four kids that no amount of planning or time could ever really prepare them for? All shockingly wonderful surprising gifts beyond compare.

But that was how life was. And Yugi didn’t mind it; after all, he had learned that the best presents were always the most surprising ones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're done! I have a few notes I wanted to make clear, mostly about the children's names. Let's start easy: Ziya is the Turkish way of spelling the Arabic version of Dia/Diya meaning "splendor, light, glow"; it seemed to fit with the whole Yugi/Yami/Atem light and dark theme through the series, and this is also why Yugi and Atem call him their "little light". Mana and Mahad's names are pretty obvious where they came from. 
> 
> Miya is nicknamed Meimei during a lot of dialogue in this story. That is a callback to her Chinese heritage from her birth parents and as a way to reflect her mother naming her. Miya 美夜 "beautiful + night" is pronounced meiye (mei3ye4) in Mandarin. Chinese nicknames, especially for young children, are often just a repeated syllable they have in their name. Miya's nickname, though, has a double meaning. One way to emphasize a single-syllable adjective in Mandarin is by repeating it. Mei, by itself, is an adjective meaning beautiful/pleasing/good, so repeating it meimei would give the impression of something being very beautiful or amazing-- so it becomes just a sweet nickname for Miya.
> 
> Bonus chapter up next!


	25. Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi and Atem celebrate Christmas with their children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final bonus chapter :) Thank you all so much for reading and sticking through this.

##  25: Gift

It was a strange thing, being that they were a Japanese-Egyptian mixed family (well, adding in the technical ethnicities of their children, they were a Japanese-Egyptian-Turkish-Chinese mixed family), but they celebrated Christmas. Not for any religious reason but mostly because it gave their children such joy to decorate a tree and get presents on December 25th, as well as eat fried chicken and Christmas cake. Yugi and Atem had started the tradition around the time they got Ziya, mostly as a way to make him feel more connected with them. It was something new they could all experience together and a way to give them all a day that brought them closer as a family.

Téa had been the one to suggest it since Christmas was such a big deal in America. She said children looked forward to it year round. She thought it would be a big help for Ziya to make him feel more comfortable as a family unit and it turned out, she was right. 

Atem smiled, wrapping his arms around Yugi as they watched their children unwrap their gifts. The four had woken up at the crack of dawn, gleefully bursting into Yugi and Atem’s room to wake them up. The two fathers had gotten dressed while their children brushed their teeth and washed their faces, barely beating the eager ones downstairs to the tree. Atem and Yugi had learned from experience that if they weren’t down their first, gifts and stockings were opened whether everyone was ready or not. 

The entire morning, though, had been nothing but gleeful screams and shouts from the children. All four were so happy, tearing into their presents and ripping off wrapping paper with vigor. Atem was almost sad to see all his and Yugi’s hard work at making each package look so pretty with ribbons torn so quickly to shreds. Well, at least it had made a beautiful picture in front of the tree before the kids had dug into them. 

Atem was sure they could probably post the photos in the KaibaCorp magazine. It had become something of a tradition for their fans and readers to get a few pages blurb about the Mutou household annual Christmas. Joey said it was constantly talked about on his channel after the magazines came out, while Mokuba and Kaiba both confirmed that the Mutou Christmas issue tended to be one of the bestselling in the entire year. Mokuba said it was like a classy form of celebrity gossip that people could indulge in. Getting a peek into world-class game designer and his gamer husband’s life with their children just made them more relatable to the people. 

And, Kaiba had mentioned more than once, Yugi and Atem tended to buy the children the newest KaibaCorp products which were then advertised in the magazine and without fail, those items that had been gifted to the Mutou children would have increased sales for the following month. Needless to say, Kaiba was more than willing to give them discounted prices on Christmas gifts for some of the new toys. Hell, he had even given them unreleased merchandise to give to the kids before in order to feature it in his magazine (the payoff of doing so had quite possibly doubled to tripled the sales of the item compared to the initial projections). 

Atem was snapped out of his musings by his youngest daughter. Mana squealed when she pulled out two Watapon plush dolls. 

“Daddy! Papa! Look! Look!” Yugi grinned and nodded. “They twins like me and Bubby!” 

“Yes, they are.” Their attention shifted as Ziya gasped, jumping up and down for joy at the new game he received—Ultimate Duel Z. It was the newest KaibaCorp board game on the market, not even released to the general public yet. 

“I love you, Daddy, Papa!! Thank you!!!” He bounced over to hug them both, making Yugi and Atem laugh at his exuberance. “I can’t wait to play it! We’ll all play today after cake, right?” Yugi nodded, gesturing for their son to continue opening gifts. If they didn’t, Ziya would forget all about the rest of his presents just to focus on playing with this one. 

After their son skipped away, Atem returned to his favorite activity: touching Yugi. He nuzzled his husband’s jaw, pressing a soft kiss onto his skin. “They’re really happy. Look; Meimei is still staring at her new Duel Monsters set.” 

“And I think Mahad may squeeze those Kuriboh dolls to death.” Yugi reached around, placing a hand on Atem’s butt. “On another note… This sweater? I thought we made it illegal. You do know I’m dying here, right?” 

Atem laughed, nipping Yugi’s earlobe. “No, we made wearing pants underneath this sweater illegal. And I should have you know, I am not wearing any pants whatsoever underneath this top. These are stockings that end at my thighs.” He grinned, lowering his voice even further, making sure none of their kids could hear him. “And I may have possibly forgotten to put anything else on underneath, too.” 

Yugi’s face flushed red hot. He squeezed Atem’s ass before bringing his hand back to his own body—likely to keep himself from touching Atem any more and giving into temptation. “You’re going to be the death of me. I’m dying. You’re killing me.” 

“And you have to live with this knowledge until Mama comes to get the kids today.” 

“Thank Ra they want to give us our own gifts. Thank Ra she takes them for at least an hour to wrap them and leaves us here alone. Thank you, Ra.” They celebrated the other half of Christmas Day at the game shop with Yugi’s mother and grandfather. There, the kids received more gifts from their grandmother and great-grandfather, while also giving Yugi and Atem their own gifts. Afterwards, they would all work together to bake the Christmas cake and decorate it, and then get fried chicken to eat for dinner as well as eating the cake for dessert.

Atem laughed, nuzzling Yugi’s neck again. “Just think. I’ll be your gift then. Something for you to unwrap for Christmas, too.” 

Yugi tilted his head back, kissing the underside of Atem’s jaw. “The best gift I could ask for.”

“Well, besides our kids.” Yugi nodded, looking back up at their four children. He relaxed into Atem’s embrace, their previous arousal ignored for the time being as they watched the four finish unwrapping their presents. 

It had been a journey to get here, Atem realized. Dying and then coming back to life. Dating Yugi, going through college together, sticking with him as he released Spherium II, then getting engaged. Their marriage, Yugi winning Game of the Year, meeting Yugi’s siblings, Yugi releasing Monster World VR, then Yugi’s little sister showing up at their doorstep pregnant. All of it snowballing to getting Miya, Yugi releasing Millennium World, then them adopting Ziya, the Kaleidoscope project, and finally getting their twins. So much in twenty years. 

He was so lucky for all of it. Atem had never imagined when Osiris offered him the gift of life that he would ever have all of this in his world. He never imagined he’d get Yugi in his arms for all eternity, able to wake up and fall asleep beside him night after night. He never imagined he’d be so fortunate to have four wonderful children, two of which were miraculously his blood. 

Atem had been given more than he could ever fathom and he hoped to live the rest of his life showing his family and husband how grateful he was for that opportunity. 

His partner seemed to read his thoughts and leaned up, kissing him deeply. 

“I’m so thankful for you. Thank you for coming back to me.” 

“Oh, Yugi. You’re the greatest gift to me. Thank you for being my partner.” Atem opened his mouth to say more but was cut off by a gag from one of his children. Both he and Yugi turned around to see Miya and Ziya making gross faces at them. 

“Daddy! Papa! You’re being all gross and mushy again!” Miya complained. Atem and Yugi laughed, pulling apart from each other. After all, soon enough, they’d get their own time to be as gross and mushy with each other without an audience. And besides, they both wanted to focus on watching their children open their gifts. It was always a joy to see their children happy.

That was all he ever wanted, after all. To simply have Yugi and his children happy and with him—that truly was the greatest gift of all. 

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! This was fun to write, even though it took me almost an extra month to finish compared to when it was supposed to end, haha. 
> 
> Hopefully I'll be back soon enough. I have an actual Puzzleshipping fanfiction in the works called Symphony that I've been working on for over a year now. It's a lot longer and with a legit plotline. I enjoyed writing this story a lot but trying to get chapters out daily was killer. I'm not used to the time crunch and I normally write chapters the length-size of last chapter, around 10k words. Trying to rush through chapters on this story was definitely a challenge. 
> 
> So I'm hoping you might come back around whenever I do post the next story up! :) It's a canon-compliant story taking place a few months after DSOD; it'll explore a lot of the themes I hit on in this story but a little more in depth. But again, thank you for sticking through and reading this one. I appreciate it!!!


End file.
